Confessions of the Head Girl
by Sharkdiver1980
Summary: Hermione was named Head Girl at start of her seventh year, and it seemed that for once, everything was going exactly as she planned; everything except for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: this fic was inspired by another _AMAZING_ one-shot fic by JadePresley called "Professor Riddle" which is posted over on AO3…if you haven't read it, you need to! Jade has given me her blessing to write this multi-chapter fic, though it is NOT in any way a continuation of that fic. This is a Magic AU – obviously, it's not canon. In this fic, there is no snake face Voldemort, though Tom Riddle _is_ a Dark Wizard and is going by the name Voldemort in secret. Also, his main agenda is to reach the minds of younger wizards and witches to gain more followers, so that he can overthrow the ministry…Also, There is a lot of stuff I completely changed for the sake of this fic RE: Harry – I'll go into more detailed explanations about that when things come up in certain chapters, in an Author's note. In this fic, Tom is 28, and has just been given the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, though instead of this happening in his "natural" time in 1955-ish, I changed it to 1997, Which is the start of Hermione's seventh year. Sorry for the EPIC AN, but I know some people won't read it, and assume I've never read the Harry Potter books, and take me to task for it…so I'm saying it up front:  I purposely changed a lot of stuff for the purpose of my fic.**

* * *

 _September 1, 1997 3:30pm_

 _The rumors are true. Though, I will admit that I already knew that. After Umbridge (I refuse to call that horrid woman "Professor") had an unfortunate run-in with a horde of Centaurs, and Professor Snape was hence force shipped off to Azkaban for the murder of Headmaster Dumbledore, there was a vacancy in the DADA teaching post. Professor McGonagall, though I suppose I should get used to calling her Headmistress now, has assumed responsibility for the school; thankfully. There is a new Professor this year, though I haven't heard nary a whisper as to who it may be as of yet. I do hope, however, that we might actually_ _learn_ _something this year. Also, I have been made Head Girl, which is what I've been working toward for the last seven years…_

Hermione slipped into her seat at the Gryffindor table alongside Ginny Weasley, and allowed her eyes to scan the head table for signs of the new Professor.

"I heard he's devilishly handsome." Ginny remarked, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

Hermione rolled her eyes, as the thought stirred memories of Gilderoy Lockhart, whom the entirety of the female population of Hogwarts had once admired, herself included, before he turned out to be a complete fraud.

"Honestly, I don't care what he looks like, so long as he can bloody _teach_." Hermione said in exasperation.

The corner of Ginny's lips curved up into a smile, "Well, even if all he turns out to be is eye candy, we still have the D.A." Ginny whispered, flicking her eyes across the table to Harry, who was deep in conversation with her brother Ron.

Hermione bit her lip thoughtfully as she observed the red-head sitting next to her and her best friend across the table, and leaned in close to Ginny to whisper in her ear.

"Have you told him yet?" she asked.

Ginny's eyes widened fractionally, and she shook her head indicating that no, she most certainly _hadn't_ told Harry Potter how she felt about him.

Hermione sighed and turned her attention to the podium where the Headmistress stood to begin the start of term announcements. She was loathe to admit that she allowed her mind to wander during the first part of her speech, as it was mostly the same every year and primarily for the benefit of the first years; though she could think of a _few people_ who would do well to also heed the reminder, as her eyes fell on Harry and Ron.

" _And finally, I would like to welcome a new member of the Hogwarts Staff, who has so graciously agreed to take up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts this year…"_

The Headmistresses' words penetrated Hermione's errant thoughts, and her attention snapped back to the head table where her eyes fell on a tall, dark haired wizard.

She could already hear the hushed whispers of the other females at the table, and then felt Ginny's elbow nudge her side sharply. He _was_ handsome, incredibly so, and _young_.

"I told you he was dreamy!" Ginny whispered as Hermione grimaced and rubbed the sore spot on her ribs where Ginny's elbow had connected.

"And _I_ said, I'll reserve my opinion on the matter until I assess his teaching methods." Hermione snapped as she picked up the serving spoon and began to fill her plate.

"Kill joy." Ginny muttered under her breath and started to fill her own plate.

 _September 1, 1997, 10:00pm_

 _The new DADA professor was introduced at the feast tonight – Professor Riddle. He wasn't_ _ **at all**_ _what I had been expecting…To be honest, after some of the Professors we've had to endure, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but he's_ _ **young**_ _. He must be incredibly intelligent to have been offered the position at his age; he can't be more than thirty. I am very much looking forward to finding out what his classes are like…_

 **oOo0oOo**

Hermione walked down the hall sandwiched between her two best friends, listening to them whine about how they were dreading their first defense class with the new Professor. Even though she heard them already making comparisons to Lockhart, she knew their ire was most likely due to jealousy. Every witch in the school it seemed was already talking about their new Defense Professor, herself _not_ included, much to Ron's delight.

She slipped into her usual seat in the front of the classroom, and scowled when she noticed that the entire front row was now filled with eager eyed females who usually took every opportunity to skive off class. She shook her head and pulled some parchment, ink, and a quill from her satchel and waited patiently for the new Professor to arrive and begin the lesson.

When he slipped into the room from the back and made his way towards the front of the classroom to the chalkboard, the din of chatter stopped; all eyes were on him. He had chosen to forgo the standard black teaching robes, and instead wore a pair of tan khaki pants held up with a brown leather belt, and a white button down Oxford shirt. Hermione took in his casual appearance, wondering if he had done it on purpose; his sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and he was not wearing a tie.

He picked up a piece of chalk, and began to make a list; _Werewolves, Vampires, Dementors, Acromantulas, and Trolls_.

"Who can tell me what all of these creatures have in common?" he asked the sixth and seventh years, his eyes sweeping over the class.

Hermione watched a small frown form at the corner of his lips when he was met with blank stares.

"No one?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Hermione let out a small sigh and raised her hand.

His eyes flicked over to her, and seemed to brighten at her willingness to answer, "Yes, Miss…" he trailed off, picking up a sheet of parchment from his desk.

"Granger, sir." She supplied helpfully, "They can all be repelled, at least temporarily, by a Patronus charm."

A smile formed on his lips as he met her eyes, "Excellent. At least one of you completed your summer reading."

Hermione blushed in embarrassment as a few chuckles were heard around the room. It was no secret that she was a bookworm, _of course_ she had done the required reading.

The rest of class passed surprisingly quickly, as it turned out that the new Professor gave very engaging lectures. It almost came as a surprise when she realized that she was the last one in the class room.

She was diligently packing up her belongings when he made his way around to the front of his desk, watching her closely.

"Miss Granger, you are the Head Girl this year, am I correct?" he asked leaning casually against his desk and studying her with his intense gaze.

"Yes, sir, that's correct." She answered, focused on packing up her books.

"Professor McGonagall tells me that with your marks, you're likely to have your pick of positions down at the Ministry after you graduate." he said conversationally.

Hermione blushed, not used to hearing such praise, especially coming from _male_ Professors.

"Erm…I suppose so, I mean…I _hope_ so, sir." She stammered uncomfortably, accidentally knocking a quill off of her desk and blushing deeper when she noticed his lips curving into a small smile.

He moved away from his desk and took a step towards hers, bending quickly to pick up the quill that had fallen.

"I was Head Boy myself, once upon a time, you know." He said, handing her the quill.

As she took it from his outstretched hand, his fingers, ever so slightly brushed over her knuckles as her hand closed around the quill, causing her stomach to flutter nervously.

She stared at his hand before he quickly dropped it, and turned back towards his desk to lean against it once more.

"Well, in any case, it's nice to know there are still students here who strive for academic achievement rather than just meeting the minimum requirements." He said giving her a small smile.

Hermione couldn't help the small smile of her own that graced her lips at his compliment, and she gave a small nod, "Thank you, sir." As she turned to leave, his smooth voice stopped her just as she reached the door.

"Oh, and Miss Granger? I may require your assistance in the evenings periodically, if it's not too much trouble; there's quite a bit of grading to be done for the first and second years, and I would be grateful for the help. If you're amenable to the idea, I can speak with Professor McGonagall to ensure that you receive proper credit for your time."

She felt her stomach give another nervous flutter, "Of course, Professor, I'd be happy to help." she answered before disappearing through the door.

 _September 2, 1997, 9:00pm_

 _I am happy to report that the new DADA Professor is_ _not_ _another Gilderoy Lockhart. I will admit, that he is rather dashing, but what is more important, is his vast knowledge of the subject that he is teaching. The sixth and seventh year girls though, are dreadfully insufferable. Do they honestly think he doesn't notice their pitiful attempts to capture his attention in class, or their incessant giggling? Merlin, I practically needed a headache potion after just_ _one_ _class with him, I can't imagine how he deals with that all day long! I was honestly surprised when he asked for my help grading first and second year essays; on the one hand, it's a tremendous compliment that he finds me competent enough to grade the students fairly on his behalf, but also, none of the other teachers require such assistance; I suppose it could be due to his limited experience with teaching, he is quite young after all. He had also mentioned, that he had been Head Boy when he was a student at Hogwarts…I'll have to remember to look him up in_ _Hogwarts: A History_ _._

It wasn't until a week later that she had received his note at breakfast.

 _Miss Granger,_

 _If you have no prior commitments this evening, I would very much welcome your assistance as discussed. Come to my office after dinner, and I'll explain what needs doing._

 _Thank you,_

 _~Tom_

She felt the nervous flutter in her stomach again as she read the words on the parchment written in his neat penmanship. There was one detail of his note that didn't escape her notice; he had signed his letter 'Tom'. Not 'Professor Riddle', just 'Tom'. Her mind immediately went to every possible reason that this could be, and eventually, she decided that he must have done that out of habit; he was young himself, and maybe he still saw himself as one of their peers rather than an authority figure. It also would explain why he never wore the standard black teaching robes that all of the other Professor's wore. Yes, that had to be it.

"Oi, Hermione, who's that from?" Ron asked cutting through her thoughts.

She folded the note quickly, and put it in her satchel, "Oh, it's nothing, it's just about an extra credit project I'm working on." She said quickly, wondering why she felt the need to lie to her friends about the note, as if it were somehow inappropriate.

Ron snorted, "Extra Credit? What's the point of that if you already have perfect marks?"

Her eyes narrowed at him recalling Professor Riddle's words to her earlier in the week, "Just because you don't strive for academic achievement, Ronald, does not mean that _I_ don't." she snapped before pulling her bag over her shoulder and sweeping out of the great hall.

"What's got into her?" Ron muttered blinking in confusion as he looked at Harry and Ginny.

 **oOo0oOo**

That evening, she ate her dinner quickly, doing her best to avoid her friends' questioning stares. For some reason, she didn't want to explain to them that she would be receiving extra credit for helping Professor Riddle grade essays. She could feel Ginny's eyes on her when she finally spoke.

"So Mione, what is this extra credit project you're doing? You didn't say." Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione's fork stopped halfway to her mouth as she looked up and saw all three of her friends watching her expectantly, and she put her fork down on the edge of her plate.

"If you must know, I've been given a teaching assistantship of sorts." She said cryptically.

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed, "I didn't know they did that here…who are you assisting? Slughorn?"

"That's _Professor_ Slughorn, and no, actually. I'm assisting Professor Riddle." Hermione mumbled, and then her eyes widened when Ginny ungracefully spat out her pumpkin juice.

"You're assisting Professor _Riddle_?" Ginny asked in surprise.

Hermione was beginning to get annoyed, and crossed her arms over her chest, "Yes, as a matter of fact, Tom thinks I'm quite capable-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… _Tom_? Since when do _you_ refer to Professor's by their first names?" Ginny snorted.

Hermione blushed, she hadn't intended to say that out loud, and did her best to back-peddle, "Well, as a teaching assistant, that makes him more of a colleague than a Professor, so in this case it's appropriate." Hermione said defensively trying to effectively end the conversation.

Harry chuckled at Hermione's obvious embarrassment knowingly, "Did he _ask_ you to call him Tom?"

She glared across the table at her best friend, "Well, not expressly, no, but-"

"Well, would you look at the time? You better hurry up, Hermione, we wouldn't want you to keep _Tom_ waiting…" Harry snickered.

Hermione growled and pushed herself away from the table. She knew they would tease her about working with Professor Riddle. She knew Harry would never let her live down her irrational crush on Lockhart from back in their second year, and this was his way of still tormenting her over it.

"Piss off!" she shouted as she strode away angrily, still hearing their laughter as the heavy doors closed behind her. When her eyes fell on the clock in the entrance hall, she gasped; he was expecting her in _three minutes_.

Hermione took off at a run, taking the stairs two at a time until she reached the third floor corridor where his office was located. She skidded to a stop at his door, just as he was stepping out, and she nearly collided with him. Strong arms caught her around the waist to steady her and all rational thought fled her brain. Her eyes flicked up to meet his dark gaze, and she stood there gaping at him like a fish.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you." He said as he released his hold from her waist and took in her bedraggled state, "Are you quite alright?"

She flushed in embarrassment, she could only imagine the state of her hair, and she could feel the sweat glistening on her forehead from her marathon sprint across the castle.

"Oh…yes, of course. I didn't meant to keep you waiting, Professor." She said taking a step back from him and running her hand nervously through her hair in an attempt to smooth her riotous curls.

"It's Tom." He said, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk.

She looked at him questioningly, and he continued.

"If we're to be working closely together like this, I'd prefer it if you call me Tom. May I call you Hermione?"

She nodded dumbly, "Yes of course, Professor… _Tom_." She corrected wincing at her awkwardness.

He opened the door and she followed him inside, taking the opportunity to look around his office. It was cozy and warm. There was a large fireplace off to the left with two black wingback chairs in front of it, and a large mahogany desk situated on the right. He gestured for her to sit in one of the chairs by the fire, and moved over to his desk to pick up a stack of essays.

"Here. These are the first year essays I assigned on disarming opponents. Feel free to make any comments you think are appropriate, and we'll go over the first one together to make sure we are in agreement with the final grade. The rest I'll leave in your capable hands." He said giving her a small smile as she took the stack and nodded. She watched as he swept gracefully behind the desk, taking his seat to work on something else. She turned her eyes back to the essays in her hand and began to read. Before long, the only sounds that could be heard in his office aside from the scratching of their quills on parchment, was the crackling of the log in the fire place. After about 30 minutes, she finished the first three essays, and cleared her throat to get his attention. The thought of speaking his first name out directly to him, even if only in the privacy of his office seemed strange. When he didn't acknowledge her small cough, she internally berated herself for her lack of Gryffindor courage.

"Excuse me, Tom? I've finished the first one if you'd like to discuss it."

He looked up from his work sharply, and he set his quill down, standing from his chair and making his way to the other empty chair across from hers.

Once he was seated, she handed him the essay, and waited patiently. She watched as his eyes moved back and forth quickly across the parchment while he read, and occasionally, a small smirk would grace his face, though she couldn't be sure if he was smirking at her comments, or the content of the essay itself. Finally, he handed the essay back to her with a chuckle.

"I must say, Hermione, that you are a difficult woman to please."

Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it certainly wasn't that.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked in surprise

He snatched the essay back from her hand once again and held it up so he could read her comments out loud.

" _Not only is Reducto a rather advanced spell for a first year, it_ _far exceeds_ _the force necessary to disarm an opponent, not to mention the potential damage that particular spell could inflict."_

Hermione scowled at the look of amusement on his face and felt the need to defend her comment, "Well, it's true, isn't it? I mean really, the damage such a spell would inflict is hardly necessary. A simple _Stupify_ , or _Expelliarmus_ would be far more appropriate."

He chuckled at her defensive posture, "While I do tend to agree with your assessment, _technically_ , a _Reducto_ would still be effective in stopping an incoming threat, therefore not _entirely_ the wrong answer, however over the top it may be."

She gaped at him.

"Professor-" she began before he corrected her.

"Tom."

She sighed, "Tom, I respectfully disagree. I don't think it's wise to give a first year _Slytherin_ the idea that using a _Reducto_ to disarm an opponent is justified." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Do enlighten me, _Hermione_ , as to why you believe a Slytherin might abuse such information?"

Her stomach dropped when she recalled reading in Hogwarts: A History that _he_ had been a Slytherin himself when he was a student. _Had she offended him?_

"I merely meant that this particular student _happens_ to be a Slytherin, I didn't mean to imply anything about his character, moral or otherwise."

He smirked again, handing her back the essay, "Of course not, being Head Girl, I'm sure you're above all that petty house rivalry nonsense."

She blushed, and took the essay from his hand.

"In any case, I find your comments thorough, and appropriate. I would have given this student a 'T' for this assignment."

She released the breath she had been holding, "That was my assessment as well."

He nodded and stood from his seat and headed back over to his desk, "Very well, you may continue."

They worked in silence for the better part of three hours, when she finally set aside the stack of essays and her quill and stood to stretch. Her neck was stiff from sitting in the chair, but at least the fire had been warm. He looked over at her when he noticed her rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"It's not very comfortable, is it?" he asked brushing his thumb over his bottom lip thoughtfully.

She smiled apologetically, "Not especially, no."

He stood, "Well, we can't have that. Merlin knows Minerva would never let me hear the end of it if I allowed any harm to come to her star student."

Hermione scoffed, "It's fine Tom, nothing a pain relief potion can't fix."

"All the same, I think we'll meet somewhere more comfortable next time." He said as he gestured for her to turn around.

She nodded at his suggestion, and turned around obediently, but then almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his fingers run along the bare skin of her neck, his thumb kneading the tense muscles in small circles. Her mind was screaming at her that this was highly inappropriate, but before she could speak, she heard him chuckle behind her.

"Relax, Hermione."

She knew she should stop him when she felt his warm breath ghost across the nape of her neck, but instead, she forced herself to relax as he continued to massage her neck with his hands. She reasoned that he must feel partially to blame for her discomfort, and was trying to help her; it's not as if he was _kissing_ her. His hands continued to dance across her skin, and her eyes slipped shut as she felt all the tension leaving her body. To her utter humiliation, she actually _moaned_ when his fingers found a stubborn knot in her shoulder, and he chuckled again, only this time it was different; it sounded _dirty_. Her stomach began fluttering nervously once again, and with every ounce of will power she had, she stepped away from him, and turned to give him a pleasant smile as she moved to the door of his office.

"Thank you, Professor, it's getting quite late, and I should be heading back to my quarters now." She said automatically.

Her breath hitched when he reached out a hand and held the door closed, his intense gaze locking with hers, "It's Tom."

She shook her head, smiling nervously at him, "Right, _of course_. Goodnight Tom."

She felt a wave of relief when he stepped back, pulling the door open for her, "Thank you for your help this evening, _Hermione_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: Holy CRAP you guys...almost 400 views and 33 favorites, just from the first chapter! Also, thank you so much for your awesome reviews, they totally made my day! Here is chapter 2, Please let me know what you think! (ps, I have about 7 chapters written so far, so hopefully that will give me some time to catch up on some of my other fics as well ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

Her thoughts were racing by the time she reached her quarters, trying to make sense of her Professor's behavior towards her. She knew that logically, he was probably just grateful for her help, and that he felt responsible for her well-being, and that it was likely all completely innocent.

 _But…_

No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn't seem to forget how his fingers felt on her skin, and how his deep chuckle seemed to have an entirely different meaning behind it. No matter that he was young, really only ten or so years her senior, he was still her Professor. She rubbed her hands over her eyes and exhaled loudly. It would not do for her to have these kinds of thoughts towards him. No matter how young, handsome, and brilliant he may be, he was _off-limits_. More than likely, she was misinterpreting his behavior anyway, and he would probably be horrified and think her inappropriate for having such thoughts.

She collapsed on her bed, and pulled out her journal.

 _September 7, 1997, 11:30pm_

 _Gods, I have a crush on my Professor. It's wildly inappropriate, given the trust he has placed in me, but I can't stop the nerves that make my stomach clench whenever he stands too close to me, or the slight trembling of my hands when I am alone in a room with him. I wish I could say that it was merely a natural physical reaction; however, it goes well beyond that. He's brilliant, and I find myself wanting to be challenged by him. Tonight, after hours of grading essays with barely a few words spoken between us, he massaged the aching muscles in my neck, and I practically melted into a puddle at his feet._

 _Those hands…with long slender fingers. I find myself staring at his hands in class sometimes, mesmerized by the way they curl just so around his wand._

 _See? Inappropriate. I suppose by writing my private thoughts in here, I can acknowledge them and move on._

She snapped her journal shut, and placed it in her bedside drawer, and warded it. She pulled off her clothes, and pulled on a nightshirt before slipping into bed, falling into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She opened her eyes and blinked, realizing that she was sitting at her desk in the Defense classroom, with a quill in her hand as her eyes moved up towards the front of the room.

"That will be all for today, however I expect 2 feet of parchment on the _Inferius_ curse when you return next week. Miss Granger, may I have a word, please?"

She nodded, watching the rest of the class file out of the room, then stood and began packing her quill and parchment into her satchel. As she made her way to the front of the classroom to his desk, she shifted nervously as he made his way towards her with an unreadable expression on his face. Had she done something to upset him? She flinched when she heard the door slam shut and the crackle of magic that followed as his wards slid into place.

"Professor?" she asked questioningly

He took a step towards her, trapping her against his desk with his arms as he leaned in close enough to whisper in her ear.

"I thought I told you to call me Tom?"

Her stomach gave a nervous jolt at his closeness. She could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave, and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt his lips ghost over her neck.

"We shouldn't be doing this…" she managed to whisper as her arms moved of their own accord to wrap around his neck.

"Tell me you don't want this, and I'll stop…" he mumbled against her throat as his hands moved from where they had been resting on the desk to her waist.

She knew she should stop him, that what they were doing was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Instead, she tilted her face towards his and he captured her lips in a demanding kiss. At the sound of his small sigh, she felt a throb of desire low in her belly and clenched her thighs together.

As the kiss grew more intense, she squeaked in surprise when she felt herself being lifted onto his desk, and her legs pushed apart so he could stand between them. She could feel him, _all of him_ , as her hips rocked forward seeking relief from the throbbing need she was consumed with.

"Hermione…" he breathed as he broke the kiss to trail hot open mouthed kisses along the column of her throat.

When she felt his hand slip beneath her school skirt and trail along her inner thigh until his fingertips met the edge of her damp knickers, she stiffened with embarrassment until she heard him groan.

"Gods, you're so wet for me…"

Rational thought fled her brain when she felt the long fingers she had fantasized about so many times brush over her sex, and she arched her back towards him letting out a small moan.

"Tell me what you want, Hermione" she heard him say through the fog of lust she was currently experiencing.

"You. I want you, Tom." She managed in a choked whisper as two of his fingers slid into her in a way she had never experienced before. It was slightly uncomfortable at first, but with the way his breath was heavy against her neck, and his thumb was tracing small circles over her clit, it was causing a new sensation to build up within her. She began to rock her hips in sync with his hand, and within moments, she felt her release crash over her as she shook in his arms, grasping fistfuls of his shirt tightly as he continued to move his hand against her, his name falling from her lips. As she came down from the high, she watched him through hooded eyes as he slipped his fingers into his mouth, his gaze locking on to hers…

She jolted awake, panting heavily, with an insistent throbbing between her legs. She very rarely gave into her own need, but after _that_ dream, she desperately needed some relief. Her hand slipped beneath her sheets and she let out a soft moan as her fingers brushed her swollen clit. In the back of her mind, she was aware of how wrong it was to be touching herself while thinking about her Professor, but at the moment, all she cared about was the blissful feeling of release that it promised. The dream replayed itself in her mind, and she mimicked the movements of his hand with her own, imagining it was him touching her, and before long, she cried out, arching her back off the bed as her orgasm washed over her. She lay in her bed for a while, willing her heartrate to slow down, until she finally managed to pull herself out of bed, and take a cold shower.

 **oOo0oOo**

"How did things go with Tom last night?" Harry asked smirking, and Hermione winced, blushing a deep crimson as thoughts of her early morning activities came back to her.

"Fine. It was rather boring actually." She said dismissively, hoping it would make them lose interest in her liaison with their professor.

"I heard he kept you out awfully late…couldn't have been _that_ boring." Ginny interjected raising an eyebrow at Hermione questioningly.

Hermione sighed, "I was grading first year essays on disarming opponents for him for a little over three hours, hardly stimulating work." Hermione said rolling her eyes for good measure.

The corner of Ginny's lips twitched knowingly when she noticed the flush in Hermione's cheeks, and decided to change course.

"So, has Viktor written lately?" she asked innocently.

Hermione grit her teeth, and put down her fork as calmly as she could manage before her eyes snapped up to Ginny's.

"No, Ginny, he hasn't. I'm sure being an international quidditch star hasn't left him much time to write." Hermione snapped impatiently.

"That's assuming Vicky knows _how_." Ron muttered darkly under his breath, earning another annoyed glare from Hermione.

"Honestly, Ronald, green is not your color. When are you going to get over the fact that someone _other than you_ noticed that I'm a female?" she spat once again picking up her fork with more force than necessary.

"Indeed you are, Miss Granger. One would have to be quite… _obtuse_ not to notice." A familiar voice came from behind her causing her to drop her fork with a clatter back onto her plate.

She spun in her seat, and as soon as her eyes met his, she felt a guilty blush suffuse her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't see you there." She said quickly, her heart hammering in her chest as he looked down at her in amusement.

"Clearly. I was just stopping by to thank you again for last night; if there is ever anything you _need_ , please don't hesitate to come to me." He said kindly, though Hermione didn't miss the way he accentuated the word 'need', and the way his eyes bore into hers as he said it.

As soon as he walked away, Hermione let out the breath that she had been holding. She pushed her plate away; her appetite having vanished as her stomach was busy doing somersaults.

"Not hungry?" questioned Ginny with a knowing smirk as she popped a grape into her mouth.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Hermione muttered in exasperation and stood, grabbing her bag quickly before striding out of the Great Hall.

"She's been doing that a lot lately." Ron said absently as he shoved another piece of muffin into his mouth.

 **oOo0oOo**

Thankfully, her full course load helped distract her from inappropriate thoughts of her professor for most of the morning and early afternoon until it was time for lunch. Deciding that she just wasn't up to an interrogation like the one she had been subjected to that morning at breakfast, she darted quickly down the lesser used hallway that led to the kitchens. As much as she was loathe to ask the house elves to wait on her, she was famished. She looked about quickly to make sure no one was watching, and reached up to tickle the pear in the portrait of fruit that hung inconspicuously on the wall. Within a moment, a panel slid away, revealing the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchens. She clutched her bag tightly over her shoulder, and strode in, lost in thought as she moved mechanically over to her usual spot near the hearth.

"Hermione."

Her head snapped up in surprise, not having expected anyone else to be in here. Of course, it had to be _him_.

"Professor." She said in greeting, coming to a stop when she noticed he was sitting in her spot.

The boyish grin he flashed her kick-started her heart into over drive once more, and she sucked in a breath.

"Please, will you join me?" he asked, gesturing for her to take the seat across from him at the small pub style table.

Remembering that she still had the ability to move, she nodded quickly, giving him a small smile as she moved to take the seat opposite him.

"I see I'm not the only one who wasn't up for company this afternoon." He said with a wink as she settled herself in her seat.

She froze, glancing up at him nervously, before stammering, "Oh…If you'd prefer to be alone, I could-"she began before he waved his hand dismissively.

"No, of course not; please sit. While I can admit that I usually prefer to keep my own company, I find I do quite enjoy yours."

"I enjoy yours as well, Professor." She blushed again, and chastised herself for being so obvious.

"Tom."

She raised an eyebrow questioningly, and watched as he picked up the other half of his sandwich from his plate and handed it to her.

"I told you, call me Tom." He said answering her unasked question with a smirk before taking another bite of his sandwich.

She lifted the sandwich to her mouth, hoping it would hide the fact that she was still blushing profusely, and let out a surprised laugh when she realized that it was peanut butter and jelly.

"How muggle of you." She said after she swallowed the first bite, giving him a teasing grin.

His smile faltered, but he quickly recovered himself and popped a grape into his mouth, studying her as she ate.

As she finished her sandwich, her look turned wistful as she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, pouring tea into both of the cups the house elves had brought for them.

She took the cup from him carefully avoiding his eyes choosing instead to study the delicate filigree etched into the porcelain teacup.

"I was just thinking about my parents, and how they wouldn't approve." She said sadly.

Tom stiffened across from her, his hand tightening around his teacup when he asked quietly, "Is it because they are Purebloods?"

She surprised him then when she laughed loudly, setting down her tea cup, and said "No, Tom, it's because they're _dentists_."

His eyes widened fractionally at her revelation that she was a muggle born, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Well, thanks again for the sandwich. I really should be off, Potion's starts in fifteen minutes." She said smiling as she stood, pulling her over-full bag back onto shoulder.

"I'll walk you." He said as he finished his tea and made to stand.

When he reached for her bag, she gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise.

"Oh, I can manage, you don't need to-" she stammered quickly as he reached out and hefted her dreadfully heavy bag from her shoulder and swung it over his own, with a unexpected grunt of pain.

"What do you have in here, bricks?" he teased as he shot her another swoon-worthy grin.

"Books. Just books." She answered sheepishly, "Anyway, you really don't have to do that."

"It's on my way. I should remind you, that as your professor, it is my duty to ensure your safety; judging by the weight of this bag, I'm sure your spine will thank me later." He quipped.

Hermione chuckled, blushing once again, as she stepped through the door in front of him muttering her thanks.

They walked in companionable silence until they reached the Dungeons, where he noticed her posture become tense.

"Don't tell me a Gryffindor is afraid of a few snakes…" he said smirking at her.

Hermione scoffed, "Hardly. More like just _one_ snake." She admitted without thinking before turning to give him an embarrassed look. _How could she have forgotten that he had been a Slytherin_?

He raised his eyebrow questioningly, "Oh? Do tell…I'd be very interested to know exactly who it is I should be speaking to later."

She stopped just outside of the potions classroom, noting that the door was already shut; she was late. _Shit_.

"Really Professor, it's not important." She said quickly waving off his concern. When he made no move to relinquish her bag, and continued to stare at her expectantly, she sighed in defeat.

"Malfoy. And no, I'm not _afraid_ of him, he's just always been exceedingly cruel, as long as I've known him."

He nibbled his bottom lip thoughtfully and furrowed his brow as he pulled her bag off of his shoulder and held it out to her.

"Maybe you've piqued his interest." He said quietly, noticing how her breath hitched just slightly as his hand brushed her knuckles.

"I can't imagine why…" she trailed off when she noticed how he was gazing at her mouth, and her heart started pounding a staccato in her chest once more.

He shook himself and took a step back from her, clearing his throat quickly, seeming to remember something and held a small piece of parchment out to her.

"What's this?" she asked in confusion.

"Give that to Professor Slughorn, it will excuse you for being late. Good day, Hermione." He said politely giving her a brief nod before striding away from her down the hallway.

She glanced down at the parchment in her hand, and blew out a frustrated breath. Would she ever _not_ be flustered around that man? Shaking herself, she pushed the heavy door to the Potions classroom open, and studiously avoided the curious stares from her classmates as she strode to the front of the room to hand the note to Professor Slughorn. He took the note from her with a kind smile, and scanned the contents, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"I'm sorry for being late, Professor, I-" she began before he waved her off.

"Not to worry, my dear! I see you were in good hands. Go ahead and take your seat, instructions are on the board." Professor Slughorn replied, giving her a pleased grin.

 _What was that all about?_

"Of course, Professor." Hermione answered dutifully, quickly taking her usual seat and beginning her work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: Seriously, you guys...over 1200 views and 45 favorites, and that was only from the first two chapters! Holy moly! Thank you all so much for your awesome reviews, they totally made my day 3**

* * *

"Miss Granger, might I have a word?" Professor Slughorn called as the rest of the class began to file out, and she made her way up to his desk expectantly.

"I'm sorry again for being late, Professor-" she began before he once again waved off her apology with a good natured chuckle.

"Nonsense, Miss Granger, think nothing of it, dear girl! After all, Professor Riddle speaks very highly of you; you've been most helpful to him, I hear." The Professor beamed at her as he strode around his desk.

"That's kind of you to say-" she began before he continued on as if she hadn't been speaking.

"He was a student of mine, once upon a time, did you know? Very talented, I always knew he would do well."

"Oh?" she replied, trying to appear polite, but slightly unsure as to why he was telling her something obviously personal.

"Had a rough go of it in the beginning of course, coming from that dreadful orphanage" he shook his head sadly, seemingly lost in thought and not noticing the look of shock on Hermione's face.

"Orphanage, sir?" she asked in surprise. _Had she heard that right? Tom was an orphan?_

The Professor seemed to suddenly realize what he said and to whom he had said it, and cleared his throat nervously before attempting to change the subject.

"Well, humble beginnings and all that. The point is, Miss Granger, that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to!"

Hermione furrowed her brow, and nodded. Clearly he wasn't going to elaborate.

"If that's all, Professor, I should be heading to my next class." Hermione asked wondering if there was a point to his rambling.

"Incidentally, I do have a favor to ask, if you're agreeable?" He asked as he rolled the end of his mustache between his fingers.

"Of course, Professor, what can I help you with?" she asked politely, hoping that he wasn't going to try and get her to grade essays for him too.

"You see, quite a few of my potion's ingredients are running low, and I haven't found the time myself to replenish them; Professor Riddle has graciously volunteered his time, however, it really is a job for more than just one person…" he said cryptically.

"You would like for me to assist Professor Riddle with collecting potion ingredients?" she asked, making sure she understood what he was asking her to do.

"Only if you have the time, you understand, I wouldn't want to pull you away from your studies." He answered.

Hermione bit her lip. On the one hand, she already had a lot on her plate, but if she agreed, it would mean more time alone with Professor Riddle. She immediately scolded herself internally for even thinking it, but she was already nodding her agreement before she could stop herself.

"Brilliant! Tom will be pleased that he'll not be undertaking such an arduous task alone." He beamed at her.

Hermione cleared her throat nervously, dreading the question she was about to ask, "And when would we be expected to begin, sir?"

"Tonight would be best; it is a full moon after all, and I wouldn't want to waste the opportunity!"

Hermione groaned inwardly. There is no way she would be able to put him out of her mind if she was constantly being thrust into his presence.

"Excellent, I'll let Tom know to expect you in the entrance hall at ten this evening." Professor Slughorn said jovially as he gave her a dismissive wave and turned his attention back to the stack of essays on his desk.

 **oOo0oOo**

"Hermione, do you think you'll have time to come by the common room tonight? We haven't seen you hardly at all since the start of term." Harry asked as he sat across from her in the Great Hall absent mindedly picking at his food.

She felt her stomach drop to her feet as she looked up from her plate to see Ginny, Harry, and Ron all looking at her expectantly.

"Oh…erm…" she stammered as she nibbled her bottom lip nervously.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Let me guess, _Mr. Wonderful_ has you grading essays again?"

Hermione scoffed at Ginny's moniker for their Defense Professor, "No, actually. Professor Slughorn's asked me to assist in replenishing his potion ingredients tonight, since it's a full moon and-" she rambled before Ginny held up a hand to stop her.

"So he's sending you, _a student_ , alone into the Forbidden Forest at night?" Ginny asked raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

 _Oh shit_.

"Not exactly…" Hermione hedged, shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth so she wouldn't have to explain.

At this, Ginny's curiosity was piqued.

"So _not_ alone then?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at Hermione.

Hermione felt the tell-tale blush rising to her cheeks, and nodded.

"Mr. Wonderful?" Ginny prodded, her smirk growing exponentially wider, the deeper Hermione blushed.

Just before Hermione could open her mouth to respond, Ginny turned to look at something over Hermione's shoulder, and her face lit up in a beatific smile, "Oh, hello Tom."

The blood drained from Hermione's face; _had he heard?_

"Ten points from Gryffindor for inappropriately addressing a Professor, Miss Weasley." Tom's silky voice came from behind her, and she wanted to melt into the floor boards. Of course, he would know that it was she who told Ginny his first name.

Ginny had the good sense to look contrite, though Hermione could still see the ghost of a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

 _Bitch._

"Miss Granger, I assume Professor Slughorn notified you of the meeting time for this evening?" He questioned stiffly, no trace of the relaxed demeanor he had with her earlier. _Was he mad?_

"Yes, Professor." She answered automatically, feeling herself relax slightly when she saw the corner of his lips twitch in amusement.

He nodded and continued on past them to the staff table, and Hermione watched as he took a seat beside Professor Slughorn. She hadn't realized she was staring until his dark eyes locked with hers and she quickly turned back to stare at her plate.

"He totally likes you." Ginny blurted out beside her.

"What?!" she asked, her eyes snapping back to Ginny's, "He's a Professor, Ginny, that would be extremely irresponsible, not to mention highly inappropriate." she admonished.

Ginny chewed thoughtfully, and ignored Hermione's offended tone; "That doesn't change the fact that I'm right."

Hermione scoffed. _There was no way…_

"Why would you say such a thing?" She asked trying to seem unaffected.

Ginny snorted, "Hermione, no offense, but it's pretty obvious."

 _Was it? Not to her…_

"What do you mean? I should think if it was _so obvious_ , he would have been given a stern talking to by the Headmistress, not to mention he'd probably be sacked." Hermione argued.

"Well, he's been subtle about it for sure, but it's obvious if you're paying attention." Ginny explained.

"Well, _oh wise one_ , do enlighten me then." Hermione said trying to sound sarcastic, though truthfully, she really wanted to know.

"Well for starters, he watches you _a lot_. Then there's the asking for help with the first year essays; I mean do you really expect me to believe that he's incapable of doing that himself? And oh! Now he's _conveniently_ volunteered to help you gather potion ingredients for Professor Walrus?"

"That's Professor Slughorn." Hermione corrected, mulling over Ginny's analysis; she had to admit she had a point. She definitely wasn't going to mention the neck massage, or the fact that he'd shared his lunch with her, or that he'd walked her to class, or the fact that he'd asked her to call him by his given name when he just took points from Ginny for doing the very same thing…

"That's all just speculation. Honestly Gin, a man that gorgeous is surely spoken for." She said without thinking and clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips.

"Or he's a poof." Harry interjected, to which Ron added, "My money's on Poof."

Ginny smacked Ron upside the head and turned back to Hermione with a cheshire like grin, "So you _do_ like him, then."

"Shut it, Ginny!" Hermione snapped even as she bit back a grin.

"It's liberating, isn't it? Say it with me; Professor Riddle is a _fine_ male specimen." Ginny said in a sing-song voice as she draped her arm around Hermione's shoulders and stared blatantly in their Professor's direction.

"On that note, I'm leaving." Hermione chuckled and stood quickly, not missing how Tom's eyes caught hers and the corner of his lips quirked up into a small smile.

 **oOo0oOo**

Tom was already waiting by the door when she arrived in the entrance hall, and she had to mentally remind herself to breathe when she felt his hand land on the small of her back as he ushered her through the castle doors.

For the last hour, she had been pacing frantically in her room over-analyzing every little interaction she'd had with him since the start of term. Part of her wanted to believe that Ginny was wrong, and that he was only being polite, or maybe even that he was _gay_ ; though there was a small part that hoped that it was true. Regardless, the conclusion was always the same; no matter what he thought of her, she was a _student_ , and she would not jeopardize her education or her role as Head Girl by encouraging… _whatever it was_ that was happening between them.

As he fell in step beside her, he noticed her shiver.

"Are you cold, Hermione?"

She looked up at him in surprise, focusing once more on what they were there to do, and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

His lips pressed into a firm line, as if he didn't quite believe her, but said nothing. As they reached the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest, he stepped ahead of her, and lit his wand with a muttered, "Lumos".

There were fallen tree branches, and dead leaves littering the familiar path into the woods, and she followed his lead and lit her wand as well. The deeper they moved into the forest, the darker it became, as if the trees themselves blotted out the light from the moon. She was just about to ask how much further they were planning to go, when he stopped suddenly, and held out his hand to silence her.

She held her wand in front of her as her eyes registered the ice crystals that were swiftly forming on a small puddle to her left, that could only mean one thing; _dementors_.

"Get behind me" Tom whispered as he moved into position, swirling his wand in a complex pattern, and muttering a spell she had never heard before. Light burst from his wand, enveloping them as it lit up the surrounding area enough so that she could see that they were surrounded by more than a dozen dementors.

The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she watched her professor as he moved with cat-like grace, firing off spells in every direction. Still, she could see that his shield was beginning to weaken and she knew she had to do something to help. She took a deep breath and focused on her happiest memory as she pointed her wand at the nearest dementor, and yelled, " _Expecto Patronum_!"

Tom stilled his movements, and turned to see a fully corporeal patronus in the shape of an otter, spring forth from her wand, chasing away all of the dementors with the blinding light that followed in its wake.

Exhausted, both from the energy needed for a cast of that magnitude, as well as the adrenaline spike, she fell to her knees as soon as she saw the last dementor flee.

"Hermione!" Tom called and dropped to his knees beside her. She was cold, and shivering, and he pulled her against his chest in an attempt to warm her.

She looked up at him, too tired to protest, and allowed her eyes to fall shut as she inhaled the spicy scent of his aftershave. Her last thoughts before everything went dark, was that he smelled exactly as she had imagined in her dream.

 **oOo0oOo**

Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up nervously when she didn't immediately recognize her surroundings. She was lying on a couch, beside a warm fire that was crackling merrily in the hearth. She jumped when she felt a warm hand land on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?"

 _Confused…And oddly comfortable._

"What happened?" she asked him, as she looked around realizing that they were in his office. _Why hadn't he brought her to the hospital wing?_

"We were attacked. Do you remember anything?" he asked as he handed her some chocolate.

She took it gratefully, and nibbled on it while she tried to recall the last thing she remembered.

"Dementors. How did they manage to get passed the wards?" Hermione asked in alarm.

"I'm not sure. I've notified the Headmistress, and she has contacted the Aurors to investigate the breech. She has assured me that while the grounds may not be secure, the castle is protected."

Hermione nodded, and worried her lower lip as she mulled over what he was telling her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked suddenly, and she looked up at him with a wide-eyed expression.

"Tell you what?" she asked nervously. _He wasn't talking about her feelings at a time like this, was he?_

"That you could cast a _Patronus_. Who taught you? I don't recall seeing _that_ in the school's defense curriculum." He said as he leaned back against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest expectantly.

"Oh… _that_." She answered in relief, to which he just raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Professor Lupin taught Harry how to do it back in third year…he had a bit of a problem with Dementors that summer when Sirius Black escaped from Azakaban, and well…he taught me." Hermione said sheepishly, as if she had been caught cheating on a test.

The corner of Tom's lips twitched in amusement, and Hermione let out a relieved breath, glad for the fact that she wouldn't get in trouble for knowing such an advanced charm.

"Wasn't he a werewolf?"

Hermione chuckled, "Yes, though aside from his most unfortunate malady, he was a wonderful teacher. It's a shame the board of governors insisted upon his dismissal…not to imply any slight against your teaching methods, of course! " Hermione corrected as she realized that her words could easily be taken as an insult.

He grinned at her, and stepped away from the desk to take a seat beside her on the couch. She shifted so that one leg was tucked beneath her as she turned to face him.

"None taken, Hermione. Every time I think I have you figured out, you manage to surprise me." He said leaning towards her just slightly, gazing at her intently.

"How so?" she breathed as she unconsciously leaned towards him, and licked her lips, unable to tear her eyes away from his.

Suddenly, she found herself back in his classroom, watching a scene play out in front of her, with him standing at her side; _oh shit. They were in her dream_. She couldn't move or speak, only stand there and watch as her professor lifted her onto his desk, kissing her as if his very life depended on it. She was utterly mortified. Hot tears sprang to her eyes as the scene continued to unfold in all of it's NC-17 glory, and she felt thoroughly violated as he stood there watching it silently. Finally, she forced her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, she was back on the couch in his office, breathing heavily, as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her brain worked quickly to make sense of what had just happened, and then she realized that it began when she looked into his eyes; he was a _Legillimens_.

Before he could say anything, her hand darted out and slapped him hard on the cheek and she sprinted from his office.

By the time she made it back to the safety of her room, she was breathing heavily, and she collapsed on the floor, her whole body shaking with quiet sobs.

How could she show her face in Defense class ever again after he saw _that_ in her mind?

She wracked he brain going over every possible option she could think of on how to avoid him, but all of them would seem highly suspicious. If she asked the Headmistress to be removed from Defense Against the Dark Arts, there would be too many questions, more so because she had never once chosen to take _less_ of a course load, always more.

Seeing no other way around it, she resigned herself to the fact that she could either report him for his inappropriate use of magic against a student, or she could continue on, avoiding him as much as possible, and pretend that the whole thing never happened. It was her last year of school; she could do this. She finally fell asleep with her decision made.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: Thank you all so much for your awesome reviews and kind words! I hope you love this extra long chapter! xoxo...things are beginning to heat up!**

* * *

Hermione woke from a troubled sleep, and groaned when she recalled the events from the night before. It would have been bad enough that her professor found out that she was attracted to him, without him literally seeing it in graphic detail. To make matters worse, she had Defense class as the last class of the day.

 _Wonderful._

She showered quickly and made her way down to the great hall, purposely avoiding the staff table, and quickly slipped into her seat beside Ginny.

Just as Ginny made to open her mouth, Hermione held up her hand and stopped her.

"I swear to _god_ , if you say anything; _anything at all_ asking me how last night went, I'll hex you so badly, St. Mungos won't be able to heal you." Hermione said as she stabbed her fork into her eggs.

Ginny's eyes widened and she chuckled, "That bad, huh?"

Hermione shot her a glare, but didn't comment.

"Did you hear about the dementors? I heard they managed to enter the grounds last night." Ginny said as she buttered her toast.

Hermione just stared pointedly at her until Ginny froze and her eyes widened.

"Oh my god! Did you _see_ them? You were in the forest last night…"Ginny said putting her hand over her mouth in shock.

"You could say that." Hermione sighed and took a bite of her toast, in an obvious attempt to thwart the discussion.

"But Tom was with you, wasn't he?"

" _Professor Riddle_." Hermione corrected out of habit, and then frowned as she pushed her plate away remembering her embarrassment from the night before.

" _Whatever_. He was though, wasn't he? I would have shit myself if I saw one." Ginny stated matter of fact.

Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice at Ginny's pronouncement, "Well, it's a good thing I have good bowel control." Hermione answered sarcastically while wrinkling her nose at Ginny in distaste.

"Anyway, from what I heard, the Aurors were here early this morning to make sure the castle and grounds were secure; there was no trace of them by the time they arrived. Awfully strange, don't you think? I mean, dementors just showing up in the forest like that?"

Hermione had to agree with Ginny's assessment; it _had_ struck her as odd as well. Just as Hermione was getting ready to leave, an owl landed on the table in front of her, holding out its leg with a letter addressed to her.

She recognized the handwriting as Tom's, and almost cast an _incendio_ on it out of spite knowing he was probably watching her, though instead, she took the letter and shoved it into her bag without opening it, and stalked out of the Great Hall without a word.

By noontime, she had no appetite, and hadn't had the courage to read the contents of his letter. Rather than heading to the great hall for lunch, she swept out of the castle and walked down towards the black lake. It was an unusually warm sunny day for mid-September, and she relished the time alone. As she reached the lake, she pulled her black outer robe off and spread it out on the ground like a blanket, and sat down. After leaning back on her hands for a while just absorbing the sun's warm comforting rays, she grudgingly sat up and reached into her bag to pull out the letter.

 _What could he possibly say that would make this situation any better?_

She couldn't bring herself to read the awkward lecture he had undoubtedly written on how inappropriate the interaction had been, and without opening it, she pointed the tip of her wand toward it and whispered _incendio_.

She felt a sense of cathartic release as the paper was consumed by flames, and watched as small bits of ash drifted up into the sky. After nearly forty-five minutes of staring out at the lake, she sighed and stood up, brushing the bits of dried grass from her robe as she pulled it back over her shoulders, and headed determinedly back into the castle with her head held high.

 **oOo0oOo**

She sat in her seat, making a concerted effort to keep her eyes trained firmly on the black board, or on her parchment and _not_ on her professor. She was relieved when he made no move to approach her, or call on her in class, and was beginning to think that she could get through the rest of the year without ever laying her eyes on him again until she heard him call out.

"That will be all for today, however I expect two feet of parchment on the _Inferius_ curse when you return next week. Miss Granger, may I have a word, please?"

 _Déjà vu_

She froze in her seat, her fingers still grasping her quill tightly until she looked around and saw a few of the other students looking at her strangely, and cleared her throat; Hermione may have been many things, but she was _never_ disrespectful towards a teacher.

"Of course, Professor."

As the rest of the students filed out, she took her time packing up her things with trembling hands. She felt like she was going to be _sick_.

As the last student left, she heard the door slam shut, and the crackle of magic in the air as his wards slid into place. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had done nothing wrong, and it was _he_ who should be apologizing for his blatant violation of her privacy. When she finally turned to face him, he was gazing at her with an unreadable expression.

"What can I do for you, _Professor_?" she said coolly, as she stood by her desk.

He frowned at the use of his title rather than his given name, and she felt slightly bolstered by his reaction.

"Did you receive my letter?" he asked, standing stiffly in front of his desk, though he made no move to approach her.

"I did." she said shortly, folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

"And?" he asked giving her an expectant look.

"I burned it." She replied flatly.

The corner of his lips twitched in amusement, and he nodded.

"So you didn't actually _read_ it then, I take it." He asked chuckling as he began to walk toward her desk, closing the distance between them.

"No, I didn't bloody read it! You-" she began to shout until she was promptly silenced by his lips crashing into hers. He took control of the kiss, pulling her against his chest as his tongue traced along her bottom lip demanding entry. She was momentarily stunned by this unexpected turn of events, and found herself kissing him back wantonly against her better judgement until she found an ounce of her self-control and pushed him away, breathing heavily.

"What the hell was _that_?" she asked moving her trembling hand up to her mouth.

He chuckled, "That, Hermione, was a kiss…a bloody good one, if you ask me."

She opened and closed her mouth several times, seemingly at a loss for words, until she finally blurted out, "What was in the letter, Tom?"

He smirked as he approached her again, and brushed his hand over her cheek.

"It was an apology. One which I hope you will accept…and the password to my quarters."

 _Wait, what?_

"Wait…You're giving _me_ the password to your quarters?" she asked in confusion.

He was still smirking at her, as he nodded, "Yes, that's right. If we are to be intimate, Hermione, I prefer to do so in the privacy of my rooms…though I admit, the desk was a nice touch." He added mischievously and winked at her.

"So let me get this straight; you want to _sleep_ with me?" She repeated, still in shock at what he was telling her.

"Hermione, the things I would like to do to you have _zero_ to do with sleep." He laughed.

She swallowed thickly as her eyes raked over his chest. As usual, he looked good enough to eat. Not that she had ever… _oh hell_.

"So how do you expect this to work? I could be expelled and you could get sacked if anyone found out." She asked trying to process his proposal.

"Quite easily; we've already established a working relationship; as far as anyone knows, your association with me is purely professional. You'll be graduating in less than a year, and I trust you can be discreet?"

Her brain was working overtime again taking in everything he was saying. She couldn't make a decision like this on the spot, she needed time to _think_.

"I need to think about this." She said honestly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him imploringly.

He nodded in understanding and moved over to her again, grasping her chin with his fingers and tilting her face towards his, brushing his lips lightly over hers.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't. If you change your mind, the entrance to my quarters is through that wall; the password is _Dominus_." he said softly as he stepped away, and released his wards.

She had to tear her eyes away from him as she picked up her bag and strode from the room. Her legs were shaking the entire way back to the Head's quarters, and she almost collided with the Head boy as he was on his way out.

"Hermione! Are you alright? You seem distracted."

Hermione snorted, _that's the understatement of the century, Terry_.

"I'm fine…NEWTS are coming up, you know…" she said giving him a small smile and slipped past him into their common room. When she was finally in her room, the thought crossed her mind that even Professor Trelawney couldn't have predicted the situation she currently found herself in, and she slid down the closed door as laughter bubbled up in her throat.

The extremely gorgeous, young, and brilliant Defense Professor wanted to _fuck_ Hermione Granger; Bookworm extraordinaire.

Her inner cheerleader was doing back handsprings at the thought, but of course, her more sensible side was shaking her head in admonishment. Logically, she knew that if she did this, she would be crossing a line that could never be un-crossed. It was _wrong,_ yet the thought of telling him no made her chest ache. The truth, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, was that she had fallen hard for her professor. There was still so much she didn't know about Tom, other than what she was able to piece together from the bits she'd learned since the start of term. He'd never once talked about himself, only about her. He was an orphan, according to Professor Slughorn, and obviously raised by muggles if his choice of sandwich was anything to go by. _Perhaps they had much more in common that she thought?_

Her mind drifted back to the kiss. Just the thought of those sculpted lips moving against hers made her knees weak. At the time, she had been so stunned that she probably seemed extremely inexperienced to him; she wasn't an expert by any stretch, but she had been kissed before. Tom though, wasn't exactly a boy, and he wanted to do a hell of a lot more than snog her on his couch.

 _Was she ready for that?_

She was just about nineteen, her birthday was the following week, but she was still a virgin. _Would Tom still want to be with her if he knew? Should she start taking the potion?_

She sighed and rubbed her hand over her eyes. The hardest part, was that she could tell absolutely _no one_. Not even Ginny. The thought worried her, considering how probing Ginny had been lately concerning her feelings towards their Professor, and one thing was certain; Hermione was a terrible liar.

Her stomach chose that moment to grumble, reminding her that she had skipped lunch, so she shrugged off her school robe and decided to head down to dinner, choosing to think on it later in favor of a bit of normalcy.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny were already seated at the table when she arrived, and she slipped into the seat beside Ginny.

"You seem less… _homicidal_ this evening. Let me guess…NEWTS?" Ginny commented as she eyed Hermione's much more relaxed posture.

For once, she was grateful that Ginny thought her thunderous mood that morning had been caused by stressing over exams. Normally, she would take the opportunity to remind her that exams were no joke, and that she should be studying now if she had any hope of passing, but instead, she gave a small smile and nodded in agreement, helping herself to the roasted chicken, peas, and potatoes.

"Well, since you skipped out on us last night-" Ginny began before Hermione turned to gape at her

"I didn't skip out on you! I told you-"

"I know, I know…You and _Mr. Wonderful_ had a date picking weeds for Professor Walrus. I got it." Ginny said chuckling at Hermione's glare, "The point is, it's Friday, and we're having a party up in Gryffindor, and you're coming. No excuses."

Hermione sighed. Truthfully, she missed spending time with her friends, and if there was ever a time she needed to blow off some steam, it was now.

"Sure. Count me in."

"Are you sure you don't need permission from _Tom_?" Harry interrupted wagging his eyebrows at her, and she promptly choked on her pumpkin juice.

"Harry, it's _Professor Riddle_. And no, as Head Girl, I surely don't need permission to attend a party with my own house." She said in her usual lecture tone as she flicked a pea at him.

She was laughing at one of Ron's stories when her eyes swept over to the staff table, and she found her Professor watching her. The heated gaze he gave her while he ate his dessert was enough to make her flush, and she quickly looked away.

 _Oh God, the way he was licking the cream off that spoon…it was indecent really_.

Before long, she headed back to her room to get ready with the promise that she would meet her friends in the Gryffindor common room after she completed her rounds.

 **oOo0oOo**

After curfew, Hermione stepped out of the Head's quarters to do her rounds. Each of the prefects had been given assigned floors, as well as Terry and herself. In order to make sure the prefects weren't looking the other way when their housemates were out after curfew, it had been her idea to assign the prefects to floors further away from their own common rooms. She was certain that if Draco Malfoy was patrolling the dungeons, none of the Slytherins would ever lose any house points.

Tonight, when she found _herself_ assigned to that very floor, she wished she had kept her big mouth shut. Not having much of a choice, she headed down into the bowls of the castle looking for students out of bed. Much to her relief, Slytherin seemed to be taking a page form Gryffindor and throwing their own party that night, which meant there were less students roaming the halls. She was just about to head back to Gryffindor tower, when a hand clasped over her mouth and pulled her into a hidden alcove. She struggled to get free until she was turned around, and Tom held a single finger to his lips signaling her to be quiet. She relaxed when she saw that it was him, and nodded. He pushed her hands up over her head against the wall, holding them securely with one of his own, and dipped his head down until his lips brushed against her ear, as he whispered, "I've been looking forward to seeing you like this…"

She sucked in a breath as the implication of his words sunk in, and a pulse of desire coursed through her. His lips continued to trail kisses down her throat, causing her to moan softly. He pulled away immediately, once again pressing a long finger against her lips as a reminder for her to remain silent. Feeling emboldened by her desire, she pressed a kiss to the finger pressed against her lips, and sucked the tip of it into her mouth. She was rewarded by the sound of his shaky exhale, as he regarded her silently, his intense eyes burning into hers.

He pulled his hand away from her mouth and trapped her body against the wall with his, allowing her to feel just how much of an effect she had on him.

"Come to me tonight…" he whispered against her cheek, inhaling her scent.

His offer was extremely tempting, so much so that if he kissed her properly right then, she was sure that she would give in; Gryffindor party be-damned. But he didn't.

"I have plans tonight…" she whispered, biting her lip as she looked up at him.

His eyes darkened at her words, and she could see a muscle twitching in his jaw as he clenched it tightly.

"With whom?" He asked, tightening his grip on her wrists.

 _Was he was jealous?_ _Oh my_.

"It's just a party up in Gryffindor tower with my friends. Besides…I haven't agreed to anything _yet_." She answered.

He scoffed, relaxing slightly, before he relinquished his hold on her and stepped away.

"I think we both know that it's only a matter of time before you say _yes_ , Hermione." He smirked before stepping out of the alcove, and leaving her standing there gaping after him.

By the time she arrived at the Gryffindor common room, her legs had finally stopped shaking, though she couldn't stop thinking about how his body had felt pressed against hers. She was pulled from those thoughts as Ginny made her way over to her, pushing a glass with some sort of brown liquid into her hand.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the glass and sniffing it cautiously.

"Fire whiskey. Fred nicked it from Filch's office. Probably took it off of one of the Slytherins." She yelled over the loud music that was playing, and clinked her own glass against Hermione's before swallowing it in one gulp.

"You know, as a Prefect, you're supposed to be setting an example." Hermione shouted back over the music.

Ginny merely arched an eyebrow at her, and smirked, "Oh, I am…an example on how to _properly_ drink this foul shit."

Hermione chuckled in agreement. She wasn't a fan of fire whiskey, having tried it once before, but she desperately needed to take the edge off after her encounter with Tom in the dungeons.

She blew out a breath, and quickly swallowed the entire contents of the glass, as the room erupted in cheers. She blushed the shade of the Gryffindor House tapestry as she realized everyone in the room had just watched the Head Girl take a shot.

"That was a perfect _example_ by the way, nicely done!" Ginny laughed as she strode away, ignoring Hermione as she flipped Ginny the bird.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice came from behind her as he enveloped her in a hug, "It's about time you showed up. We were just about to play Truth or Dare. Are you in?"

 _Fantastic_.

Truth or Dare in Gryffindor tower never ended well. She sighed, seeing no way out of it and shook her head. If she wanted to avoid any probing questions, she would just have to choose the dare option. _How bad could it be?_

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed and pulled her over to where everyone was gathering to play.

She took the open seat on the couch, and resolved to stay for no longer than an hour, fervently hoping that no one would pick her. After that, she was home-free, and could excuse herself to the safety of her own rooms. Harry tossed the golden snitch he had caught at his first quidditch game to Seamus, to begin the game.

"Lavender, Truth or Dare?" Seamus asked.

Lavender sat up straight, holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stop giggling, which didn't actually help, before she answered, "Dare."

Seamus glanced over at Ron and smirked, "I dare you to snog Ron Weasley… _with tongue_."

She saw Ron's eyes flick in her own direction briefly, as if gauging her reaction as Lavender approached him.

 _Sorry Ronald, that ship sailed a LONG time ago_.

She had to give Lavender credit though, as drunk as she was, she _really_ went for it. It was almost comical watching Ron's hands flail about as she held him down and snogged him senseless. When she finally pulled away and sat up, she was chewing Ron's gum, and proudly held up the snitch.

The game continued on this way for several minutes, with thankfully no life-threatening injuries, and she was beginning to relax thinking she was going to be able to get away scot-free when she heard Ginny call her name.

"Hermione."

 _Fuck._

"Truth or Dare?"

She sighed. She knew that if she chose truth, Ginny would grill her about Tom.

"Dare." She answered, raising an eyebrow in challenge, as she mentally congratulated herself for being so clever.

The smile that spread across Ginny's lips then was positively _evil_.

"I dare you to drink this vial of veritaserum, and answer my question."

 _Bloody. Fucking. Hell_.

Not seeing any way out of it without looking like a Hufflepuff, she snatched the small vial from Ginny's hand, and glared at her _former_ best friend.

"You do know that it's against school rules for any student to have Veritaserum in their possession, don't you?" Hermione admonished as she held up the vial.

Ginny waved her hand dismissively, "Of course I do, but since it's _you_ who is holding the vial… _well_ …drink up, buttercup."

"I hate you." Hermione snapped before she swallowed the contents of the small vial, and forcefully shoved it back into Ginny's hand.

"You are a right bitch, but I can't stay mad at you, even when I want to." Hermione said and clapped her hand over her mouth.

Ginny chuckled, "Well, now that we know it works, let's get down to it."

Rather than saying anything, Hermione just held up her hand to continue. Lord knows what sort of nonsense she would have spouted if she opened her mouth.

"Hermione, what do you _really_ think of Professor Riddle?"

 _Dammit. She was so going to get her back for this_.

"I think he's the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on, and I want him to bend me over his desk and-"Hermione began, blushing a bright shade of red before Ginny stopped her by clapping her hand over her mouth to shut her up.

The girls were all giggling madly while every single male in the room was staring at her with a new appreciation.

"Okay! We got it!" Ginny said having the grace to look sheepish. She knew Hermione had a crush on Professor Riddle, and she wanted her to admit it; she didn't realize it went quite _that_ far.

"Oi, Hermione…fancy going to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" Dean shamelessly asked, earning him a slap upside the head from Harry, who stood up and held out his hand to Hermione.

"Okay, show's over!" He shouted, and pulled Hermione towards the entrance to the common room, "Hermione, you look tired, why don't you go to bed and sleep it off." He said giving her a small smile, and she was grateful for his intervention.

She nodded and stepped out, completely mortified that she had said something so scandalous in front of practically everyone in Gryffindor tower. At least most of them were drunk, and likely wouldn't remember a thing the next day. Before she knew it, she found herself standing in front of the Defense classroom. She hadn't meant to come here, but it seemed her subconscious did. Still feeling aroused from their earlier encounter, she looked around quickly making sure no one was watching as she slipped inside the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She made her way across the room to the wall where the entrance to Tom's quarters was located, and she whispered the password before she could talk herself out of it.

" _Dominus_."

Just as he'd said, the door appeared, and she opened it. She stepped inside quickly, and leaned back against it as it closed behind her with a soft 'click'.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: Warning, SMUT in this chapter! I am over the moon that you guys are enjoying this...as the story goes you will get bits and pieces of what is going on behind the scenes and how everything is connected. I know you probably all have questions about certain things, but trust that as the story goes, you'll get answers...they just won't be immediate, or all explained at once ;) Leave me a review!**

* * *

Tom was sitting behind a writing desk, wearing a pair of wire rimmed reading glasses when he suddenly looked up from the parchment he had been grading to see her leaning against his door.

He set his quill down, and removed his glasses before running a hand through his hair. Truthfully, he hadn't thought she'd actually take him up on his offer. He motioned for her to come in, and he watched in amusement as she slowly approached his desk. He could tell she was nervous by the way she was fidgeting and biting her lip.

"I didn't think you'd come." He said finally as his gaze raked over her form. Thankfully, she was not wearing her student uniform as she had been earlier, but dressed casually in low-rise muggle jeans and a fitted pink tee shirt.

"I didn't think I would either." She answered honestly, and her eyes widened slightly as she realized her dilemma; she was still under the influence of the veritaserum.

 _Oh shit._

His eyebrows rose at her candid response, and his lips twitched in amusement. "You truly are a Gryffindor." He said chuckling as she attempted to bit back a smile, "Would you like something to drink?" he offered

"As long as it's not fire whiskey." She said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh? Tried it then, have you?" he asked looking down at her as she blushed

"Yes, the last time being about forty-five minutes ago." She answered automatically and cursed Ginny silently under her breath.

He chuckled again, "I see. You're not _drunk_ , are you?" he asked suspiciously as he grasped her chin and tilted her face so that she would look up at him.

"Not exactly." She hedged, which only seemed to make him more suspicious.

"Your pupils are dilated." He said as he looked into her eyes, and took in her flushed expression.

"Yes. It's because I'm aroused." She blurted and smacked a hand over her face in embarrassment.

Tom bit back a grin, as he finally understood what was wrong with her.

"Who gave you veritaserum, Hermione?" he asked pointedly, knowing she would have to tell him the truth.

"Ginny. We were playing Truth or Dare, and I knew she wanted to ask me something about you, so I chose dare thinking it was the safer option. Instead she dared me to drink the veritaserum and answer her question."

Once again Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had to hand it to Miss Weasley, that was a tactic worthy of a Slytherin, though her interest in their association could become problematic.

"Does she suspect anything?"

"No, though I should tell you that all of Gryffindor tower now knows that I want you to bend me over your desk. _Bloody Hell_. I didn't mean to say that."

Tom snorted. He'd have to remember to thank Miss Weasley one day.

"Oh? And what _else_ would you like me to do to you, Hermione?" he asked in a silky voice as he slid her in front of him so that she was sandwiched between him and his desk.

Her heart was pounding again, and her gaze fell on his fingers that were currently stroking small circles on her hips, and she licked her suddenly dry lips.

"I want you to touch me… _there_." She answered in a voice that sounded much too husky to be her own.

He stood from his chair, still grasping her hips as he pulled her against his body, his lips crashing into hers hungrily. Her arms wound around his neck of their own accord as she kissed him back eagerly, her fingers threading into the hair at the nape of his neck. She was so consumed by the kiss that she had barely registered the button of her jeans being flicked open, but she moaned into his mouth when she felt his hand slip beneath the waistband of her sensible cotton knickers, seeking out the place she most wanted him to touch.

"Like this?" he muttered into her mouth as his middle finger traced her slit and she bucked against his hand.

"Gods yes!" she panted as he continued his exploration, slipping first one and then a second finger inside of her as he circled her clit with his thumb. She rocked herself against his hand while they kissed, as he continued pumping his fingers into her until he could feel her inner walls beginning to contract.

Her orgasm crashed over her so suddenly, that she cried out, grasping fistfuls of his shirt as she clung to him desperately, sobbing into his neck.

It wasn't that she regretted it, but her desire for him was so overwhelming that it frightened her how easily she had given in.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked her, concern etched on his face as he brushed a tear from her cheek.

Unable to speak, she shook her head that no, he hadn't. She knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him, but she was nervous; she had never done anything like this before with anyone.

"I'm…I haven't ever…" she stammered, blushing once again

"You're still a virgin?" he asked, and she nodded in confirmation, afraid to hear what he would say.

"And you thought I'd be upset about that?"

Biting her lip, she nodded again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He chuckled, sitting back in the chair, and pulling her into his lap so that she was straddling him.

"No offense, Hermione, but I had already worked that one out for myself."

She raised an eyebrow at him, not sure If she should feel relieved that he wasn't angry or offended by his assumption.

"Though we _do_ need to discuss a few things before this goes any further."

She felt her stomach do a backflip at his words. She couldn't believe they were sitting here discussing his potential taking of her virginity as if it were a homework assignment.

"First, you need to start taking the potion. This is non-negotiable. I will not touch you again until you do. If you're not comfortable requesting it from the hospital wing, I will brew it for you myself. Second, I will never touch you in public, and you must continue to treat me as you would any other professor, is that understood?" he asked as he brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

"Yes, Professor." She answered automatically.

"Tom" he corrected, "Behind closed doors you are free to use my given name." he smirked at her and she blushed.

"So…this is purely a physical relationship then." She said, feeling her heart sink.

"Hermione, you know that I cannot be romantically linked to one of my students." He answered flatly

"I know, of course… it's just…eventually, I thought…" she let out a shuddering breath. _She would not cry. She would not cry…_

"Let's not focus on that now." He said as he wiped the tear that had escaped down her cheek.

"I've managed to make you cry twice in what has it been, not even thirty minutes? Clearly, I'm not very good at this." He frowned, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Clearly not." She agreed, giving him a small smile, which he couldn't help but return. As the silence stretched between them, she desperately wanted to kiss him again, but she wasn't sure if that was allowed since he'd said he wouldn't touch her again until she was on the potion.

"Can I?" she asked quietly, as she reached toward his face hesitantly, and he nodded, lowering his face to hers, letting her set the pace. She kissed him slowly, taking the time to memorize the feel of his lips against hers, and before long, she felt her desire being stoked once more. As the kiss became more heated, he reluctantly pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, "You haven't taken the potion yet."

 _Dammit_.

"I think you should probably go." He muttered, though his hands had slipped down to her hips once again, and were grasping her tightly.

"Why?" she asked brushing her lips against his once more.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to fuck you on top of this desk, potion or no." he admitted biting his lip. She could feel how hard he was from the way she was straddling him, and could see that he was barely holding on to his restraint; and as much as she wanted him, she knew he was right. She kissed him one last time and stood up off of him, and made her way to the door.

"Goodnight, Tom."

 **oOo0oOo**

 _September 15, 1997, 11:37pm_

 _I let him touch me…and oh god, I didn't want him to stop! I can't believe I am even considering this; it's completely mental. He's my Professor, and once we completely cross that line, well, there's no going back. Truthfully, we've been toeing the line practically since we met, but I never imagined this would actually be a possibility. When I went to him tonight, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. He wants a physical relationship, and god I want that too, but will it be enough? I know almost nothing about him…_

Hermione closed her journal and slipped it back into her bedside drawer and warded it. She had a feeling she would be writing in it a lot more often, since she was forbidden to speak of her relationship with Tom to anyone.

As she lay in her bed, she closed her eyes and recalled how Tom had made her come with his fingers just like he had in her dream, and she felt a throb of desire between her legs at the thought. Biting her lip, she slipped her hand down beneath the sheets and tried to bring herself some relief. The memory of his fingers was enough to send her over the edge once more, and as she lay there panting, trying to catch her breath, she vowed to make a stop at the hospital wing in the morning.

 **oOo0oOo**

"Are you still mad at me?" Ginny asked pushing the plate of bacon towards Hermione.

She thought about saying yes, but when she remembered how her candid admission, thanks to Ginny, had led to Tom giving her an orgasm, she smiled to herself and shook her head.

Ginny let out a relieved breath, "I _am_ sorry. I honestly had no idea you were going to blurt out something like _that_ in front of everyone. I wouldn't blame you if you were still pissed."

"Ginny, it's fine. Besides, I can think of a few ways to get back at you, if I really wanted to." Hermione smirked and bit into a slice of bacon, and pointedly flicked her gaze to Harry sitting oblivious across the table.

Ginny's eyes widened in understanding, and she wisely shut her mouth and focused on her food.

"Are you coming to watch the match this morning?" Harry asked, grabbing a slice of bacon and a piece of toast off the breakfast tray.

"Actually, I can't, I need to swing by the hospital wing." Hermione answered nonplussed.

Harry furrowed his brows in confusion, "Why, are you sick or something?"

Hermione did her best to keep a straight face as she said, "Actually, if brewed improperly, Veritaserum can have some pretty nasty side effects."

Ginny paled beside her and set down her fork, "Oh god, I said I was sorry! If anything happens to you because of me…" Ginny said bringing her hand to her mouth.

 _Let her stew for a bit_ , Hermione thought, and let out a dramatic sigh.

"I haven't any symptoms yet, but it's still too early to tell. The only thing I can do is have Madam Pomfrey do a full work up, and then we'll just have to wait and see." Hermione said with a tone of resignation, and picked up her tea.

Ginny looked like she was about to be sick. _Good._

As she finished her breakfast, her eyes swept over the staff table, and she felt a mild stab of disappointment to see that Tom wasn't there.

With a promise to meet up with them in Hogsmeade after the match, she left the great hall and headed towards the hospital wing.

Thankfully, when she arrived, there was no one else there, and she made her way over to Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Hermione! What can I help you with, aren't you feeling well my dear girl?" Madame Pomfrey asked with concern as she stood from her desk and made her way over to Hermione, gesturing for her to sit on one of the beds.

"Actually, Madame, I wanted to talk to you about a rather delicate matter." Hermione hedged, blushing clear to the roots of her hair.

Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrows is surprise and quickly cast a silencing charm around the perimeter of the bed.

"My dear, you aren't… _pregnant_ , are you?" she asked clutching the front of her robes. The day the illustrious Head Girl, the brightest witch of her age, got knocked up was a sad day indeed.

Hermione gaped at her, "No! No…nothing like that." She held up her hands in assurance.

The matron gave a sigh of relief, and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, "Thank goodness. You know, I've seen so many bright girls throw away their future for a moment of weakness. And to think, all could have been avoided by simply taking a conception potion." She tutted.

Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly and bit her lip before she muttered, "That's…that's why I'm here."

Madame Pomfrey once again looked at her in surprise.

 _Jesus, was she that much of a lost cause that the mere thought of her having sex was so shocking?_

"Of course, dear, you are of age after all, and I'm glad you're taking the proper precautions. Now, I suppose Mister Potter and Mister Weasley are taking the proper precautions as well?

 _What?!_

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion, "I wouldn't know. They don't discuss those sorts of things with me." Hermione snapped waspishly. _Was this woman really insinuating that she was sleeping with her two best friends at the same time?_

"Of course not." Madame Pomfrey said awkwardly having the grace to look embarrassed, "Either way, I must examine you before giving you the potion."

This was the part she had been dreading. She knew it wouldn't be nearly as awkward as going to see a muggle Gynecologist, but she still had to be scanned.

The matron asked her to remove her clothes behind the partition, and put on the standard hospital gown. Once she was decent, Hermione lay down on the cot as the matron stood over her muttering a spell as she moved her wand from her head down to her feet. If anything abnormal was detected, the tip of her wand would glow red. Thankfully, the wand tip remained green, and she was given the all clear to get dressed.

Once she was dressed, she followed the matron into her office. As she took a seat in the chair, Madame Pomfrey handed her three small vials and a maxi-pad.

"The pink one is a cycle adjusting potion; when you take it, it will automatically induce your period so that you will be at the first day of your cycle. The blue is the contraception potion; it needs to be taken on day 1 of your cycle each month. I will give you a six month supply today, however you must be sure to see me again before you run out."

"And the green?" Hermione prompted looking at the vial of thick green liquid that she didn't recognize sitting on the desk in front of her.

"Ah, that one is optional; it will essentially cease the flow of your period by absorbing your menstrual blood internally, for one cycle. I always offer it just in case." The matron said with a wink.

Hermione picked up the first vial and swallowed it, instantly feeling her abdomen tightening, signaling the beginning of cramps. When she placed her hand over her stomach, Madame Pomfrey held out an easily recognizable pain relief potion with a small smile, "Here, this should help."

She quickly drank it, feeling the muscles instantly begin to relax once more. _God she loved magic._

Next, she drank the blue vial of contraception potion, which other than tasting like berries, felt like it did absolutely nothing. She was about to reach for the Maxi-pad when Madame Pomfrey held out the green vial instead and took it gratefully. At least now she wouldn't have to deal with her period. Sure, she'd still be extra bitchy, hungry, and maybe get a zit or two, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

"Come back in six months for a re-supply, and do not forget to take it on the first day of your cycle each month!" Madame Pomfrey admonished as she handed Hermione five small blue vials and ushered her out the door.

As she made her way back to the Head's Quarters, she thought about how painless the visit had ultimately been…well, if she didn't count the awkward assumption that she was getting tag-teamed by her two best friends…

When she was safely ensconced within the privacy of her room, she sat at her desk and removed a small piece of parchment and a quill, thinking about how she could let Tom know she'd taken the potion without saying too much, in the event her note was intercepted.

 _Professor,_

 _Thank you for your assistance with gathering the needed potions ingredients. I spoke with Madame Pomfrey this morning, and she has assured me that she has everything she needs._

 _~Hermione_

There. If anyone happened to see it, it appeared strictly professional, but she knew he would understand her meaning. She tucked the note in her pocket as she headed out the door and over to the owlry, before heading to Hogsmeade to meet up with her friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.

AN: I hope you guys love this chapter! There is smut, so be warned! Thank you all for the awesome reviews...seriously, you guys rock. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!xo

* * *

After returning from Hogsmeade, Hermione headed straight for the library to begin revising for her NEWTS. It was at a secluded table near the restricted section where her Professor found her, surrounded by books. She hadn't heard him approach, so lost in her reading, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when his silky voice came from behind her.

"Working hard, I see."

She clutched her hand to her chest to calm her pounding heart, and gave him a small smile.

"Yes, I'm afraid I haven't been dedicating as much time as I normally do to my revisions." She answered, noting how he casually leaned against the table as he gazed at her.

"I wonder what it is that could be distracting you so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her and giving her a small knowing smirk.

She chuckled at his implication, and allowed the feather quill to brush against her lips enticingly, "I'm sure I have no idea."

She noticed how his knuckles seemed to whiten from grasping the table a bit harder than necessary and she bit back a smirk of her own.

"Was there something you needed _, Professor_?" she asked innocently

"As a matter of fact, there is. I require you're assistance this evening, if you can find the time." He said cordially, though his eyes were dark with desire.

"Of course, Professor, I'll be sure to… _clear my schedule_." She answered and watched as he walked away with a nod.

After he left, Hermione found that she couldn't concentrate; she must've read the same sentence over about a dozen times, and it still wasn't registering in her brain. How could she be expected to focus knowing that she would probably be losing her virginity in a matter of hours? The thought then crossed her mind that maybe she should try to look nice for him, but she came up empty handed, having absolutely no clue where to begin. With a sigh, she shoved her books back into her bag and headed to Gryffindor tower to talk to the one person who might be able to help her; Ginny.

 **oOo0oOo**

"Oi! Hermione! Two visits in one day! To what do we owe the pleasure? " Ginny said laughing when Hermione stepped through the portrait hole, making a bee line over to where she was seated on the couch.

"I have to ask you something." Hermione said blushing as she took a seat next to her on the couch.

"I'm listening." Ginny said absently as she flipped idly though a copy of Witch Weekly.

"Do you… _mow your lawn_?" Hermione asked cryptically, and Ginny lowered the magazine, looking at her as if she had sprouted a second head.

"Do I _what_ , now?"

"You know…mow your lawn…um… _trim your bush_?" Hermione asked blushing in embarrassment. Did she really have to spell it out for her?

"Hermione, are you asking me if I _shave my pussy_?" Ginny snorted rather loudly.

"Shhh! NO!...maybe. Do you?" Hermione asked in mortification, coving her face with her hands.

Ginny roared with laughter until she had tears in her eyes, while Hermione glared at her.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked when she could finally manage to speak.

"I just…I overheard Lavender talking about it with Pavarti, and it occurred to me I've never even thought about this as something I should or shouldn't consider doing. I mean…is this something guys _like_?" Hermione explained quickly, hoping Ginny would buy it.

Ginny was eyeballing her suspiciously, until she finally said, "I can't speak for all women, since it's really a matter of personal preference, but I prefer to shave. If I had a sickle for every comment about whether the curtains matched the drapes, I'd be rich." Ginny sighed.

Just then, Harry walked over and plopped down on the couch on the other side of Hermione, and Hermione turned to him thoughtfully biting her lip.

"Harry…you're a guy…" Hermione said quickly, thinking that what she really needed was a guy's opinion.

"Nice of you to notice." Harry chuckled.

"What sort of pubic hair do you find attractive on a woman?" She asked bluntly

Harry choked on the sip of water he had just taken not having anticipated that question coming from Hermione, of all people.

"Oh…uh…I dunno? I haven't thought about it much I guess." Harry said awkwardly, blushing as he looked at the two girls beside him, "Why?"

"Well, we were having a bit of a debate about it just now; some women shave, some don't…I was wondering what a guy actually _prefers._ " Hermione shrugged.

"I can't say really, I mean different blokes are into different sorts of things I guess. I suppose if I had a choice, I'd say shaved?" Harry offered sheepishly.

It was Ginny who choked this time.

"Although maybe you should get a second opinion…Oi! Ron! Hermione wants to know what sort of pubic hair you like?" Harry shouted across the common room to Hermione's mortification.

Ron looked up in surprise before he blushed as red as his hair and admitted, "I kinda like that landing strip thing."

"Really didn't need to know that." Ginny muttered under her breath beside her as she massaged her temples.

Thoroughly embarrassed now, Hermione nodded then stood up, making her way to the door, mouthing ' _your welcome'_ to Lavender on her way out.

By the time she reached her room, she decided that since Tom already knew she wasn't shaved, she probably shouldn't go that route, and just tidy things up a bit instead. She filled her bath with warm water, adding a bit of vanilla bath oil to it, and sunk into it. She washed her hair, and shaved her legs and underarms before she climbed out and wrapped herself in a large fluffy towel. She padded over to her bureau and frowned as she rifled through her assortment of underthings. Nothing she owned could even remotely be classified as sexy; her panties were either plain white cotton, or pale pink with little bows on them. She bit her lip as she pulled out a pair of pink knickers with a matching bra and a smile slowly spread across her lips; she wasn't a witch for nothing! She grabbed her wand and tapped the bra changing the color from pale pink to a more daring black, and then repeated the spell on the knickers.

 _Perfect_. While she may be virginal and demure, her underthings definitely said ' _fuck me_ '

With a last look in the mirror, she put on the same clothes she had been wearing earlier so as to not draw any undue suspicion, and headed towards the Defense classroom. By the time she reached the door and slipped inside, her stomach was literally in knots. Would they work up to it, or would he just order her to strip the moment she stepped through the door?

As she approached the wall, she quietly gave his password, and watched as the entrance to his private rooms appeared from what had previously been solid wall.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, "Hello?" she called timidly as she stepped inside.

"In here." She heard him call from the adjoining room, so she followed the sound of his voice, not surprised to see him sitting behind his desk grading essays.

When she stepped into the room, he looked up and gave her a small smile as his eyes raked over her form. When he didn't immediately say anything, she started to wonder if he had changed his mind.

"If it's not a good time, I can go…" she offered nervously, her eyes darting from his face to her feet, then back again.

"Of course not, please…" he stood, gesturing for her to take a seat on his couch. She moved over to the couch and took a seat, tucking one leg beneath her out of habit. When he approached her and handed her a stack of essays, she looked up in confusion.

"If you could start on these, I'd very much appreciate it." He said giving her another small smile.

 _What the hell?_

"You want me to grade essays?" she asked, looking up at him with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Yes, I did say I required your assistance this evening, did I not?" he replied, raising his brows expectantly.

"Yes, but I thought you were trying to be clever." She answered in annoyance.

Tom chuckled at her impatience, "Hermione, you'll find that I am usually very direct. If I had asked you here for sex, I would have told you that I wanted to bend you over that couch and fuck you into the middle of next week."

Just as soon as he'd said it, the image of him pressing her down over the arm of the couch while he slammed into her from behind popped into her head, and her mouth suddenly went dry.

"Have you changed your mind since you agreed to assist me this afternoon?" he asked raising an eyebrow in challenge.

She swallowed thickly, and shook her head, "No, of course I'm happy to help." She said dazedly.

How had she so thoroughly misinterpreted his invitation? Was he really expecting her to sit here on the other side of the room reading first year essays as if he hadn't made her come on his desk the night before? _Apparently so_.

She gave a small sigh and grasped the stack of parchment he had given her in annoyance.

 **oOo0oOo**

Two hours had passed in near silence, aside from the intermittent scratching of a quill against parchment. Two hours of sneaking covert glances, and his words, ' _I would have told you that I wanted to bend you over that couch and fuck you into the middle of next week'_ still running through her mind. Sitting on his couch grading essays for the last two hours had done little to dampen her libido, in fact, she was so turned on, it was bordering on uncomfortable. If only she could get him to touch her…

An idea began to form in her mind, and a she had to bite back a smirk. She set down the stack of essays she had been working on, and untucked her leg from beneath her as she stretched her neck, moving her hands up to massage her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hand still on the parchment. _Perfect._

"Everything alright?" he asked from his seat at the desk.

She bit her lip in what she hoped was an enticing manner, "Actually, Tom, my neck _is_ a bit sore."

She watched as a small frown formed on his face before he removed his wire-rimmed glasses and stood to make his way over to where she sat.

"You should've said something sooner." He said as he motioned for her to turn around and settled himself behind her. When she felt his fingers make contact with the bare skin of her neck, she moaned and let her eyes slip shut.

He chuckled deeply from behind her, "I know what you're doing."

She turned to look at him slowly, and arched an eyebrow at him feigning innocence, "I'm not sure what you mean."

The corner of his lips twitched when he noticed she had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, allowing him a glimpse of her black bra.

"Remove your blouse." He commanded

Without needing to be told twice, her fingers quickly moved over the remaining buttons, popping them open so that she could shrug the offending material off of her shoulders.

When she felt his lips graze her shoulder blade as his fingers ran along her bra strap, she shuddered, feeling wetness pool between her thighs.

"Tom…" she whimpered, her hands seeking him out behind her as the intense need to touch him took over.

"What do you want, Hermione?" He whispered against her neck in a voice that promised to deliver on every wicked fantasy she could imagine.

Once again, his words from earlier ran through her mind, and she couldn't stop them before they left her mouth, "I want you to bend me over and fuck me into the middle of next week."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Much as I would enjoy that, Hermione, I'm not sure you're ready for that just yet."

Before the feeling of disappointment could settle over her, he reached his hand out to her and said, "Come, your first time should be in a bed."

She looked up at him from beneath her lashed as she grasped his hand, nervousness warring with excitement in her belly.

She followed him into the bedroom. The room was fairly small, dominated mostly by a large queen-size four poster bed, decorated in a dark navy blue. As they entered, the sconces flared to life, emitting a warm glow. When he turned to face her, her stomach did a backflip. This was it. She was about to lose her virginity to her Defense professor.

"Are you nervous?" he asked as he brushed his knuckles over her cheek.

Not trusting herself to speak, she bit her lip and gave a small nod.

"Relax, Hermione" he said soothingly as he pulled her against his chest and brushed his lips over hers. The contact ignited a spark of desire that she felt all the way down to her toes, and her hands moved up of their own accord to tangle in his curly black hair. She felt her bra straps sliding over her arms as the kiss grew more heated, and she suddenly felt like she needed to be even closer.

She guided him towards the bed, pulling him down on top of her. Kissing she had done, though she never really 'made out' with a boy before, and she understood now why so many risked getting detentions or losing house points while sneaking out to do it…it felt _fucking fantastic_.

Hearing him groan kicked her libido into high gear, and she rocked her hips forward seeking relief where she needed it most. His fingers dug into her waist as his hips rolled into hers, allowing her to feel how hard he was.

"I want you…" she breathed as she moved against him, a small gasp escaping her when she felt his lips close over her hardened nipple.

"Patience…" he chuckled, giving her a small nip with his teeth, causing her to cry out.

"Please…" she begged.

His eyes snapped up to hers, and his hand moved to the waistband of her jeans, "Take these off." He ordered as he rolled off of her, leaning up on an elbow to watch.

Her hands moved quickly to unzip her jeans, and his hand landed over hers causing her to still, "Do it slowly…"

 _Oh_ …So he wanted a show…

She bit her lip shyly again, and kept her gaze locked with his as she flicked open the button of her jeans and slowly lowered the zip. His eyes were dark with desire as he watched her lift her hips and push her jeans slowly over them, revealing her black satin panties.

"Black, my favorite color. Now take them off." He said in a husky tone.

She slid her knickers over her hips, kicking them off to join her jeans on the floor, leaving her completely naked before him.

"Beautiful" he whispered as he leaned over her to place a chaste kiss against her stomach.

When he continued moving south, her breath hitched. He wasn't going to…

 _Oh, yes he was_.

Her back arched up off the bed when she felt his tongue delve into her, seeking out her clit.

"Ahh! Gods!" she cried out, grasping fistfuls of his bedsheets as he lapped at her.

Just when she felt like she couldn't take anymore and was about to explode, he pulled away kneeling between her legs, and she wanted to cry at the sudden loss; his hands moved to the buttons of his shirt, slowly revealing himself to her.

"Touch yourself, Hermione, I want to watch you."

Any other time, she would have been embarrassed, except that she was so turned on after what he had just done, not to mention that he was currently gazing at her like a predator while he removed his clothes, that she slipped her hand down between her legs, while his hands moved to his belt.

Her eyes greedily took in the sight of him before her, noting how much better he looked in the flesh than what she had imagined…his body was toned and firm, with a trail of dark hair that disappeared into the waistband of his trousers. His eyes remained locked with hers, as he pushed his pants down over his hips, and he smirked at her reaction to seeing his manhood.

"It'll fit, I assure you." He said chuckling as moved back down to capture her lips once again.

Her pulse was beating like a hummingbird's wings against her ribcage when she felt the tip of his cock probing her entrance. She lifted her hips towards him, feeling his hardness slide against her clit, and moaned into his neck. As soon as he felt her body relax, he flexed his hips forward entering her in one swift stroke and then stilled. She cried out sharply as he'd entered her, not prepared for the sudden invasion that left her feeling filled completely. The pain was sharp at first, but quickly faded to a dull ache that throbbed uncomfortably around his cock.

A tear leaked from the corner of her eye, and he wiped it away as he lowered his lips to hers.

"I need to move now" he breathed against her lips as she nodded, clutching his shoulders so tightly she was sure that she'd left crescent shaped marks from her nails.

He pulled almost all the way out of her before slowly sliding back in, letting out a shuddering breath. After the first few times, she began to meet his thrusts, feeling a spark of pleasure as it began to overshadow the pain.

He kissed her hungrily, as he picked up his pace, moving a hand down to where they were joined to circle her clit. She bucked her hips at the new sensation, and cried out; she felt something beginning to build up pushing her higher and higher, towards what, she didn't know.

"Please don't stop…" she breathed against his neck as she felt her body tensing up…

"Come for me, Hermione…"

Those whispered words was all it took to send her over the edge, her release causing her to cry out as she felt the tension leaving her as if she was an elastic band that had suddenly snapped; distantly she heard him growl in her ear as he pumped into her a few more times before he stiffened, and climaxed inside of her. She lay beneath him, her arms going slack as she tried to catch her breath and slow her rapidly beating heart. It was strange to feel so sated while at the same time feeling as if she'd just ran a marathon. He pulled out of her, and rolled onto his back beside her breathing heavily, as he looked over at her with a crooked grin.

"Did that meet your expectations?" he chuckled knowing full well it surely must have, if her orgasm was anything to go by.

She turned to meet his eyes, giving him what she was sure was probably a goofy grin, while trying to suppress the ridiculously happy feeling in her chest, "More than…is it always like that?"

He gave her a knowing smirk, "It gets even better."

Her brows rose at that; she had never felt that kind of pleasure in her life, she couldn't imagine feeling any more.

"Next time it'll hurt less…and there are lots of other positions besides this one." he explained and she nodded biting her lip.

Her mind immediately went into overdrive imagining all the different ways he could make love to her, and she idly wondered what he preferred.

"What way do you like best?" she asked looking up at him with a naughty smirk, and he snorted.

"Oh no you don't…You're going to be sore for a few days, I imagine."

She frowned petulantly. The thought of having to wait a few more days now that she knew how amazing sex with him was, was not something she wanted to do.

"I'm sure there's a potion that could-"

"No. You will rest now, no arguments." He said sternly as he dropped a kiss on her forehead and rolled out of bed, pulling on his trousers.

"Where are you going?" she asked feeling a tad bereft.

"I have quite a bit of grading still to do. You can use the shower if you like."

Somehow, despite how elated she felt only moments ago, she now felt kind of cheated. Wasn't there supposed to be cuddling in bed after sex?

"Can't I persuade you to stay in bed a little longer?" she said biting her lip and looking at him uncertainly.

He sighed and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed.

"Hermione, I don't want to mislead you as to the nature of our relationship. I thought we discussed this?"

The sting of rejection she felt would have had the same effect as if he'd slapped her.

"Fine, I'll go then." She snapped wanting to leave before she started crying in front of him.

He could see that she was upset and grasped her arms to stop her from leaving.

"Hermione…"

"Let me go, Tom." She said angrily trying as hard as she could to avoid his eyes.

"No, I don't think so. You're upset."

"Damn right I'm upset!" she shouted as she tried to pull out of his grasp.

"Look, I just…I don't _do_ romance. I told you I'm not very good at this. You're my student for Salazar's sake." He sighed raking a hand through his hair.

She stilled at that. _Did he regret it?_

"I don't regret what we did…do you?" she asked quietly, hoping that he didn't either.

"No." he said instantly, his dark gaze burning into hers, "But you need to keep things in perspective; no one can know about this."

"Of course, I said I wouldn't tell anyone-" she began

He raised an eyebrow at her, "It's not as easy as all that…should you develop… _feelings_ …for me," he said struggling over the word, "Your body language could give you away."

She understood his concern, truly, she did, and he had a valid point. They were in a precarious situation, though there was no way she could sleep with him and _not_ feel something.

Not wanting to fight with him so soon after they'd made love, she nodded.

He seemed to relax as he glanced at the clock, his eyes softening before he spoke again, "It's getting late; you should probably head back to your room…"

She stepped over to him and pulled his face down towards hers for a deep kiss. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, and she squealed in delight when he lifted her off her feet mumbling, "Oh, fuck it..." as he carried her into the bathroom with him for a shower.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, this is just for fun.**

 **AN: Warning! lots of Smut in this chapter! Also, I'll leave another AN at the end so as not to spoil anything. As always, leave a review!**

* * *

 _Chapter 7:_

 _September 16, 1997, 11:04pm_

 _It's funny, people always say "You look different" in the movies when a girl finally loses her virginity. Though I don't think I look different at all…well, aside from my kiss-swollen lips and my sex hair…but Merlin, it was_ _good_ _. I mean, I knew it would have to be with him, but I wasn't expecting…just wow._

 _He is so infuriating though; one minute, I am over the moon, lying in his arms completely content, and the next, he makes me feel like I am just a toy to be played with and discarded. Honestly, I really should just put an end to all of this madness, because as he's repeatedly pointed out, nothing can come of this…it's just sex. Why does the thought of telling him it's over take my breath away? Because it's too late…I'm already head over heels in love with him, that's why. Godric help me, this is not how this was supposed to go…_

 **oOo0oOo**

"You look different." Ginny said eyeing Hermione suspiciously as she nibbled on a piece of bacon.

Hermione had to bite back the grin that threatened to form, and the reply, ' _Oh, you think? It must be all this sex I'm having_ ', and instead just shrugged.

"Have you done something different with your hair?" Ginny asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just a good night's rest is all." Hermione answered, hoping to quickly change the subject.

Ginny continued to look at her suspiciously, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you look like you've been shagged three ways from Sunday…but that cant be it."

Hermione spat out her tea, "Ginny! We're eating!"

Ginny smirked, "Yeah, I bet someone was eating…or _getting_ eaten."

"Miss Weasley."

Hermione froze

"Oh, hello Professor, say…Does Hermione look different to you at all?"

Hermione wanted to curse Ginny and melt into the floor.

The corner of the Professor's lips twitched, though his face remained stoic, "I don't make it a habit of studying my student's appearances, Miss Weasley, however Miss Granger appears well rested today."

 _More like_ _properly fucked_ , Hermione thought to herself.

"Thank you, Professor" Hermione said quietly, as she picked up her teacup, hoping it would hide her blush.

"You're welcome, Miss Granger." Tom said as he continued past their table over to his seat at the staff table.

"That man needs to get laid. He's far too uptight." Ginny said as she watched him slip into his seat, thankfully not noticing the way Hermione snorted into her teacup.

 **oOo0oOo**

"Who can tell me what is the one thing a Vampire could never refuse?" The professor asked as he leaned casually against his desk.

No one raised their hand, and he crossed his arms over his chest, "Really? No one?"

Hermione reluctantly put her arm in the air, feeling obligated to answer if no one else would.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

Hermione cleared her throat and felt her face blush scarlet at the reminder that until just recently, she herself would've fit the bill, "Virgin's blood, Professor."

Thankfully, Tom nodded, and turned away to write on the chalk board.

"Correct, take ten points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger. Virgin's blood has the same effect as Unicorn blood when it comes to cursed creatures. The purity of it is like a drug…One taste and they simply can't get enough" he said as his eyes swept over the room, finally landing on Hermione. Her breath hitched when she noticed how dark his eyes had become… _were they always that color?_

The spell was broken a moment later when the chime sounded signaling the end of class, and he called out their homework assignment.

"Miss Granger, do you have a moment?" he said distractedly as he shuffled though a stack of papers on his desk

When the last student filed out, he flicked his wrist towards the door, and it slammed shut, the lock sliding into place. Within two quick strides he was standing in front of her, hoisting her onto his desk, kissing her hungrily.

When she felt his hand slip under her skirt, she broke the kiss and whispered, "We shouldn't be doing this here."

He pulled her hand down and placed it over the bulge in his pants, "You have no idea what the sight of you in that skirt does to me…"

She felt her resolve slipping as his lips trailed hot open mouth kisses down the column of her throat, and she let out a soft moan.

That was all he needed to hear, and his hand slipped beneath her skirt once more and tore her cotton knickers off with a sharp tug

She was too consumed with lust to think about what he had just done, as a moment later, she felt him sliding into her, as his hands cupped her bottom at the edge of his desk. His thrusts were hard and fast, and despite the sting of his sudden entry, she could feel the pleasure mounting as he continued to hit a spot deep inside of her that sent shocks of pleasure up her spine. He circled her clit with his thumb as he came inside of her, and she let go and came hard around him, with a muffled cry against his neck. He pulled out of her a moment later, breathing heavily and giving her a naughty smirk as he pulled out his wand to clean them both up. He was fastening his trousers when she looked down and noticed the scrap of what used to be her panties on the floor.

"I don't have time to go back and get a new pair before my next class." She said trying to look annoyed as she gazed down at her torn knickers, though in truth she was anything but.

"Well, you best not bend over, then." He chuckled as he repaired the torn fabric and handed them back to her.

She scoffed at his words and slipped off of his desk, smoothing down her skirt, and willing her legs to stop shaking.

"That was rather impulsive…" she said with a smirk, glancing over at him while she packed her things into her bag.

He nodded giving her a small frown.

 _Was he nervous about something?_

"I apologize…it won't happen again. It was careless of me."

It was her turn to frown. One minute, he seemed to let go of his tightly held control, only to pull away from her again. It was _maddening._

"Maybe I should be the one to apologize," she said sarcastically, "my regulation school skirt and sensible cotton knickers were clearly too provocative to be worn in class."

He scowled at her, "Hermione…"

"Open the door, Tom." She said

Knowing she had class in five minutes he had no choice but to let her go, "Fine, but we're discussing this later." He snapped as the door latch clicked open with a flick of his wrist.

"Don't hold your breath" she muttered as she pushed through the door out into the hall.

 **oOo0oOo**

At dinner, Hermione wasn't surprised when she discovered a small piece of parchment waiting for her next to her plate. It was spelled with a _notice me not_ charm, so that no one except her would be tempted to read the contents. She shoved it in her bag without reading it, and did her best to avoid looking at the staff table throughout dinner.

"Have you heard? There's been another Dementor attack." Ginny said nervously as she pushed the copy of the Daily Prophet towards Hermione.

Hermione took the paper and scanned the article:

 _ **Dementors attack muggle town of Little Hangleton**_

 _For the second time in recent days, it has been reported that Dementors have escaped the confines of Azkaban Prison in what appears to be a series of unprovoked attacks. The first of which followed a breach at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the newest, and youngest member of the staff, Professor Tom Riddle, was able to successfully fend off nearly a dozen Dementors with the help of a student hailed as the brightest witch of her age, Miss Hermione Granger._

Hermione blushed at the praise that was heaped on her by the author. Usually, she was written about in a much more negative fashion; clearly this article hadn't been written by Rita Skeeter.

 _The second attack occurred just yesterday in the muggle town of Little Hangleton, where three unidentified muggles were left in critical condition. Aurors from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement along with team of healers from St. Mungos arrived swiftly to the scene to perform memory modifications on the witnesses, and provide medical care to the injured. The victims were later transported to a local hospital where they will be given further treatment, though it is unclear if they will survive. It is widely speculated that_ _Lord Voldemort_ _is behind the attacks_.

"Lord Voldemort? Why don't they just use his real name… _Severus Snape_." Hermione rolled her eyes as she looked over at Ginny.

"It makes sense though, doesn't it? I mean, someone over at Azkaban has to be behind this…Snape is in Azkaban…clearly he must've ordered it." Ginny said as she stabbed a piece of steak with her fork.

"It's strange though, don't you think? I mean, there's been talk of Lord Voldemort for the last ten years or so, yet no one has ever caught a glimpse of him in all that time…" Hermione said thoughtfully as she chewed her steak.

"Yeah, probably because he was here teaching potions biding his time until he could get his revenge on Albus Dumbledore for his treatment of him while he was a student. Can you imagine waiting _27 years_ to finally take your revenge on someone? Blimey, that must've been a serious grudge."

"Still…something isn't adding up." Hermione said before Ginny elbowed Hermione to shut her up as they saw Harry approaching the table. It was made crystal clear to the both of them that Severus Snape was not a name he ever wished to hear again after the murder of the much beloved Headmaster, though Hermione knew there was more to it than Harry was saying.

"Alright, Harry?" Hermione asked giving him a small smile as she casually folded the copy of the Daily Prophet and slipped it into her bag without him noticing.

"Yeah, just a bit of a headache is all." Harry answered pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice and filling his plate.

"Well, don't look now, but I think Peeves is about to start something…" Ginny said as the mischievous poltergeist flew into the hall cackling.

 **oOo0oOo**

Once she had reached the privacy of her room, she opened the note and frowned.

 _ **Can we talk?**_

Grabbing her quill off of her desk, she scribbled a reply.

 _ **What do you want, Tom?**_

A few moments later, her words disappeared into the parchment, and new ones began to form in his tidy script.

 _ **You...**_

She felt her throat tighten at his words. She wanted to believe it, but he was so hard to read; she still knew virtually nothing about him, other than what Slughorn had let slip, and she could feel that somewhere underneath his tightly crafted control, he must feel _something_ for her, or else why would he bother?

 _ **I wish I could believe that…**_

 _ **Then let me show you.**_

Quite without her consent, a pulse of desire raced through her. She knew that sex wasn't going to solve anything, but maybe she could get him to open up to her, even if only a little.

Before she could respond, another word formed on the parchment:

… _ **Please.**_

Her resolve crumbled and she scribbled a hasty ' _ **Alright**_ ' before she slipped her shoes back on and snuck down to his rooms. Thankfully, she had to pass by the Defense classroom on the way to the library, so no one would think twice if they saw her heading in that direction.

When she reached the classroom door, she looked around to make sure no one was watching as she slipped inside, quickly closing the door behind her. She moved over the wall where the entrance to his quarters was hidden and whispered the password, _Dominus_.

The door appeared, and she slipped inside. The first thing she noticed was that his rooms were dark, except for the soft glow of light coming from his bedroom. She crept quietly across the floor to his bedroom door, and pushed it open slowly. The sight that greeted her eyes made her breath catch; there were candles everywhere, on every surface, as well as floating near the ceiling. The ceiling had also been charmed like the great hall to appear as the night sky, with thousands of stars twinkling down. As her eyes moved to the bed, there was a single long-stem red rose lying on the pillow.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of arms slid around her waist from behind and she yelped in surprise.

"What is all this?" she questioned, not daring to hope that it meant what she hoped it did

"Do you like it?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck from behind.

"Yes, of course I do, but _why_?" she asked as her hands came to rest over his.

"I felt I owed you an apology; I upset you earlier, but it was not my intention."

She bit back a smirk, thinking back to the conversation that they had just the night before in this very room.

"But I thought you said you didn't _do_ romance?" she teased.

"Do you find this romantic?" he asked chuckling against her neck.

"What happened to ' _keeping things in perspective'_?" she challenged as she turned in his arms to face him.

He sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers and admitted, "Things tend to get a bit blurry where you're concerned."

She bit her lip knowing this was about as much of a declaration as she was going to get from him, and pulled his face down to hers in a kiss that could have melted lava.

"Make love to me, Tom" she breathed against his lips, and she felt her feet leave the floor as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. When she felt her knees hit the back of the mattress, he urged her onto it, crawling over her, trapping her thighs between his legs.

"I do want to make one thing very clear, Hermione. I don't make love, I fuck… _hard_."

She felt a throb of desire, and wetness pool between her legs at his words.

"Now, put your arms over your head and grab the headboard." He commanded.

She did as instructed, wondering what he was planning to do when he produced a forest green and silver neck tie from his back pocket.

Hermione chuckled, "And here, I didn't think you even _owned_ a tie."

His lips twitched in amusement as he tied her wrists securely to the headboard with it.

"Keep it up Miss Granger, and I'll be forced to… _discipline_ you."

Another throb of desire shot straight to her core; between the things he was saying in that husky tone of voice, and the things he was doing to her, she knew it wouldn't take much to make her come undone.

"Now, what shall I do with you?" he said with a wicked glint in his eye as he produced his wand, twirling it idly between his fingers.

Hermione stiffened as she felt the cold tip of his bone-white wand glide over her lips and chin as he dragged it lower, trembling in anticipation as she watched the buttons of her blouse pop open as it moved down between her breasts. In one swift move, he pushed off her blouse and twisted it around her wrists along with his tie against the headboard. Her breathing had become heavier now, her desire for him clouding her senses.

"Do you want to _come_ , Hermione?" he asked, pinching her hardened nipple through her bra, "Tell me what you want."

She let out a shaky breath as he gazed down at her expectantly, twirling his wand menacingly in one hand while stroking the bare skin of her stomach with his long pale fingers.

"Yes…Please, I need to feel you…" she begged, arching her back and pushing her breasts toward him as much as the restraint would allow.

"Well, that's not very specific, now, is it? Is it my hands that you want?" he asked, sliding his hand under her skirt to skim his finger along the damp fabric of her knickers.

She whimpered with need and bucked her hips trying to get him use more pressure instead of the light teasing strokes he was giving her.

"Or is it my mouth?" he breathed against the heated skin of her stomach as he moved lower, pulling her knickers down as he went, skimming his nose along her thigh and flicking his tongue over her clit a few times in a tortuous rhythm.

She was panting now and pulling against the tie that bound her to his bed, wanting desperately to come.

"…Please Tom…" she begged nearly out of her mind with need.

"Or maybe it's my cock that you really want…" he said, and before she knew what was happening, he flipped her over onto her stomach and lifted her so that she was on her knees. His hands moved quickly to his belt, and he pushed his pants down over his hips as he pushed into her with a groan, pulling her body flush against him

"Fuck…" he hissed as her muscles clenched around him causing her to moan into his pillow.

He gripped her hips tightly as he pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in. She felt every inch of him as he fucked her, and she couldn't ever remember feeling this turned on in her life. She was right on the edge, and when he slammed into her again, and again when she finally felt her orgasm washing over her, causing jolts of pleasure to shoot up her spine. Distantly, she heard him groan as he stilled, his cock buried deep inside of her as he found his release.

As he pulled out of her, breathing heavily, he flicked his hand towards the headboard to release her from the restraint, and collapsed beside her on the bed.

She turned to face him, biting her lip and gave him a naughty grin.

He arched an eyebrow as he looked at her, "Something amusing?" he asked

"That was really nice." She said with a smirk.

Tom snorted in disbelief as he moved back over her, "Nice!? I'll show you nice…"

* * *

 **AN: So another Dementor attack! Ten points if you can guess just who those muggles were that were attacked...I'm sure its obvious to you all, but to be clear, their identities weren't given. Also, as I hinted at in the chapter, there is a lot more to the story as to why Harry hates Snape, and why Hermione (and everyone really) believes that he is/was Lord Voldemort. More coming on that in later chapters...and yes, Harry will have a completely different backstory, if you haven't already guessed. It will all be explained, I promise. Oh, and I totally borrowed a line or two from Fifty Shades, because hot Professor Tom channeling Christian Grey in that scene needed to happen. Also, that scene was inspired (partly) by the ice cube scene from FSOG...youtube "Fifty Shades Ice Scene" it if you haven't seen it yet! (and if you want the FULL scene, then watch "Fifty Shades of slow motion" lol) - Your welcome.**


End file.
